RAF News Edition 1552, 27.01.2023

Chinook boost for NATO battlegroup

CHINOOKS RETURNED to Estonia as Nato urged members to step up support for Ukraine.

Three of the battlefield workhorses from Odiham’s 18 Sqn arrived back at Amari Air Base just days before top-level talks in Ramstein, Germany, at which Berlin resisted pressure to supply its Leopard 2 tanks.

Welcoming the RAF detachment, Estonian defence minister Hanno Pevkur said: “The arrival of these helicopters has taken place according to the road map we agreed with the UK last November.

“Typhoon fighters and Apache helicopters will join them later. This is exactly what we have to do together.”

Around 100 RAF personnel from Aviation Task Force 3 backed up by Army specialists are on Operation Peleda, working closely with the Baltic state which does not have its own heavy lift rotary capability. But their first tasking was to fly Defence l

Simon Mander

Challenger II to support Ukraine as Russia stalls

FRONTLINE FIREPOWER: UK is to send 14 Challenger II tanks to Ukraine under latest military aid package

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also confirmed the UK will match or exceed defence support provided during 2022 and called on other Allied nations to fast-track more military aid as Defence chiefs claim Putin’s forces are struggling with resupply issues and plummeting morale.

British forces will begin training the Ukrainian troops to use the tanks and guns this month as part of wider UK efforts which have seen thousands of Ukrainian troops already trained at UK military sites.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “As the people of Ukraine approach their second year living under relentless Russian bombardment, the Prime Minister is dedicated to ensuring Ukraine wins this war.

“Alongside his closest military advisors, he has analysed the military picture, looked at the

strategic impact of the UK’s support and identified a window where he thinks the UK and its Allies can have maximum impact.

“The Prime Minister is clear that a long and static war only serves Russia’s ends. That’s why he and his ministers will be speaking

to our Allies across the world in the days and weeks ahead to ramp up pressure on Putin and secure a better future for Ukraine.”

THE

Extracts from The Royal Air Force Day By Day by Air Cdre Graham Pitchfork (The History Press)

“It was a most unexpected and miraculous team win”

Women’s Ski Captain Cpl Rachel Hughes on last year’s stunning Inter-Services triumph,

she looks to this season’s event

See R’n’R pp4-5

BRITAIN IS to send 14 Challenger II tanks and around 30 AS90 selfpropelled guns to Ukraine as part of a package of military support as the Russian invasion of the country enters its second year.

FEARLESS AIR Force personnel in Estonia took part in their own Cold War braving temperatures as low as -16˚C to complete vital survival training.

And their Army colleagues took the plunge too as they got fighting fit to support Nato allies on Operation Peleda.

“Jumping into the water was invigorating, not as bad as it looks,” said Benson-based

ground liaison officer Capt Nick Husband.

“Despite outward appearances, it is quite fun spending time in the cold. The practise of essential drills and skills has set us up for success.”

18 Sqn detachment commander Sqn Ldr Tim Thorogood said the Cold Weather Operator’s course marked a major change from the Odiham outfit’s last major deployment,

Typhoon sees

TYPHOON JETS and Voyager tankers have arrived in America for the RAF’s toughest training test of the year.

More than 300 personnel will spend the next month at Nellis Air Force base in the Nevada desert practising advanced aerial combat drills with Allied nations.

“After months of build-up and preparation, Red Flag is underway.

“This is the most rigorous training the RAF participates in.

Everyone will learn how to do their job under the most testing conditions, in the world’s best

supporting French forces in the West African state of Mali.

He said: “It’s been a busy first week of tasking since our arrival, with the engineering teams working hard in the cold.

“This deployment is an excellent opportunity for capability development with our Nato partners, working in the sorts of conditions we don’t often get at home.”

l Continued from front page Minister Ben Wallace and his European counterparts to Tapa Camp to announce The Tallinn Pledge in support of Ukraine.

It was then back to business as usual – training with Estonian Defence Forces and Nato battlegroup units.

Chinook in Nato boost Cold War

18 Sqn CO Wg Cdr Tom Carter said: “We are here to work together with the Estonian Defence Forces and other European allies.

“These are very versatile aircraft that allow many people and equipment to be taken to the battlefield at the same time.”

Later the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein heard an impassioned plea by video link from Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelensky for heavy armour.

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia was preparing for a long war.

“Like most wars, this is likely to end at the negotiating table,” he said.

“But what happens in negotiations is directly linked to what happens on the battlefield, so we need to deliver more weapons to Ukraine now.”

He welcomed pledges by Britain to supply 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks and similar offers from France and Poland and called on Allies and partners to follow their example.

He stressed Nato needed to ramp up the production of weapons and ammunition and rapidly replenish stockpiles – an issue to be addressed when Defence ministers meet next month.

over Nevada desert

combat training environment.

“This is an enormous opportunity to prepare for the most difficult operations with our US and Australian allies.”

The Typhoons from Lossiemouth-based II (Army Cooperation) Sqn are supported by Brize Norton’s 10 and 101 Sqn

Voyagers and will operate over a vast training area half the size of Wales.

The British jets will integrate with American and Australian combat aircraft to test their fighting skills against simulated ground-based air defence systems, aggressor aircraft, cyber and spacebased threats.

A regular fixture on the RAF’s exercise programme since the late 1970s, the exercise aims to develop participants’ capabilities in a highthreat and contested environment against a near peer adversary, with China designated as the main ‘pacing challenge,’ last year by the US Department of Defense.

Detachment Commander Gp Capt Roger Elliott said:

TAKING THE PLUNGE: Marine leads 18 Sqn training

PHOTO: AS1 JASON RUSSELL

Star team pacs them in

Goolistan Cooper

FORCES VETERANS were joined by a pair of South American alpacas for tea at their Royal Star and Garter home.

Fifteen-month-olds Hugo and Finley, from a nearby animal centre, were greeted by residents including Air Force veterans Bea, Amy and Vera.

The friendly camelids were brought in as part of the Surbiton care home’s pet therapy programme to help residents suffering with dementia.

Former WAAF Amy said: “I

never thought I’d get to my age and feed an alpaca.”

Bea added: “Although we didn’t have alpacas, it reminded me of the days when my husband and I were farming.”

Stroking animals can help reduce stress, lower blood pressure and increase social interaction and physical activity.

It has also been shown to help battle depression and loneliness, according to medical research.

Enter the Dragons

Staff Reporter

AIR FORCE boxing ambassador Flt Lt Luke Pearce is bidding to bring the British lightweight crown back to his home town of Newport by training Welsh countryman Craig Woodruff for a rematch with current champion Gavin Gywnne.

The Gibraltar-based aviator is hoping to restore local boxing pride by bringing a British belt back to the Welsh city for the first time since his uncle, heavyweight Dave ‘Bomber’ Pearce, lifted the title 39 years ago.

Thirty-year-old underdog Woodruff held his rival to a draw in a brutal bout last year.

But mentor Luke says the military-style training has improved his stamina and is confident his protégé can triumph when the two meet again at what the British Board of Boxing Control billed the ‘contest of the year’ at a recent awards dinner.

Luke said: “It was a big achievement for myself to train somebody from Newport. When I took Craig on, he did have a losing record and was not expected to compete for titles.”

In five years the team, which also includes Pearce’s fellow coach Johan Berendjy and manager Richie Garner, have taken Woodruff to the Celtic title and to fights for the Welsh and British titles, where

he gained a draw and entered the world’s top 50.

Pearce added: “It was fantastic to get that far and the team should be very proud of themselves.

“We also have huge respect for Gavin, and everyone at St Joseph’s, it

was a pleasure to share the ring with them.

“There are physical military training tests which I have adapted for Craig that I went through as a soldier and was very fortunate to undertake during my time in the military.

“It was important to show how Craig could perform and stay the course, as Gavin is known for ending fights well.”

The rematch, promoted by fight supremo Eddie Hearn, takes place in April.

Nikki takes on Wittering

Speaking after handing over command at the Cambridgeshire station, Wg Cdr Case said: “It has been an immense privilege.

“The Station’s personnel, Service and civilian, have risen to every challenge and it has been an honour to work with people who are so committed to supporting the RAF.”

Wg Cdr Duncan arrived at the station in July 2022 as Officer Commanding Support.

She said: “It is an honour and privilege to be made the Station Commander at RAF Wittering, which has a long and proud history.

“It is a challenging role, but the Station has talented and dedicated team of Service, civilian and contractor personnel who will continue to deliver and support our Defence outputs.

“I am also looking forward to working with our friends and neighbours in the local community.”

HANDOVER: Wg Cdr Nikki Duncan at Wittering

ANIMAL MAGIC: Alpacas Hugo and Finley join Star and Garter residents Vera, left, and Bea, right

WG CDR Nikki Duncan is the new Station Commander at RAF Wittering, taking over from Wg Cdr Jez Case.

WG CDR CASE

DRAGONS’ DEN: Flt Lt Luke Pearce (left) and contender Craig Woodruff pose beside a statue of Dave ‘Bomber’ Pearce in Newport

CONTENDER: Craig Woodruff (left) holds rival Gavin Gywnne to a draw earlier this year

Farewell for Leeming’s last WWII hero

Lynne Dunne RAF Leeming

HUNDREDS OF personnel gathered in York for the funeral of Leeming’s last known surviving World War II RAF aircrew veteran.

The event, on what would have been the 100th birthday of FO Doug Petty, was marked by a lone bugler and tributes from former colleagues.

FO Petty flew 31 missions over Nazi Germany as an RAF flight engineer with 429 Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force and was one of the final members of the York branch of the Normandy Veterans Association.

On reconnecting with the North Yorkshire airbase more than a decade ago he visited many times to share witty and often deeply moving tales of his wartime years and remained in contact with six of his seven crewmates, who returned to Canada, throughout their lives.

He was presented with the Légion d’Honneur in 2017 at Leeming and returned there to mark 75 years since he joined the RAF in 2019.

Station Commander Gp Capt Gareth Prendergast said: “Doug was our veteran, and it was clear that service with the RCAF at Leeming during the Second World War was incredibly special to him.

“I was fortunate to hear him regale us with tales of the derring-do during the war, but it is the antics on the ground and during training that will stick with me rather than the operational sorties.

“It was clear that there was a shared fraternity among bomber crews and a bond that helps provide a connection to the sense of service and loyalty that still lives on today among aircrew.

“I am grateful for having known Doug

RAF Leeming was built in 1938 as a bomber base, with the first sortie conducted by a Whitley in July 1940. The station was handed over to Number 6 Group in 1942 and commanded by the RCAF for the remainder of the war.

Of the seven-man crew of each aircraft, the RAF provided a single flight engineer, one of whom was FO Petty.

Wonder Wall tribute for Kabul’s ‘Capt Cool’

Simon Mander

A PILOT whose cool decisiveness during the largest humanitarian aid operation since the Berlin airlift saved hundreds of lives, and won him the AFC, has become the latest hero to sign on Cranwell’s Wall of Honour.

Former OC 99 Squadron Gp Capt Kev Latchman was at the controls of a C-17 transporter when a bus and two dumper trucks suddenly appeared on the runway as he was about to take off with 365 passengers on board.

Without lights and not enough space to stop he lifted the giant aircraft off about 15 knots early and wallowed into the air clearing the convoy by just three feet.

Aircrew Survival, Evasion and Resistance (SERE) Training Centre Instructor Mark Fairhead said: “Kev was an inspiration.

“One of my favourite comments from him was simply ‘great aircraft, great people, great squadron’.”

Gp Capt Latchman captained three C-17 sorties out of Kabul during Operation Pitting, rescuing 1,156 Afghans and UK citizens out

of a total of 15,000 evacuees.

The close call came on his second mission in the aftermath of a suicide bomber attack that killed 60 Afghans and 13 US soldiers.

His first run saved 433 people – at the time a C-17 record – but

the third sortie to withdraw 16 Air Assault Brigade troops took place under intense tracer fire.

Gp Capt Latchman praised the latest batch of RAF and Navy aircrew to complete their survival training in temperatures as low as -12˚C.

“Meeting leaders like Kev, who have authentic operational experience, offers the men and women on the course a glimpse of what they can look forward to in their own careers and service,” said Mr Fairhead.

Shader sign-off

The move comes as the battlefield workhorse that has been in RAF service since 1967

47 Squadron’s Wg Cdr James Sjoberg said: “It was a great honour to fly home the first Hercules after eight years’ continuous operations in the counter-Daesh fight.

“I would like to pay tribute to the hundreds of engineers, aircrew, support staff, industry partners and families of the Hercules Force who have supported Operation Shader non-stop since 2014.”

The job of transporting personnel and freight is being taken up by the Atlas A400M. Both aircraft will operate side by side before the transfer is completed later this year.

HOME RUN: ZH877 lands at Brize

and I will be forever indebted for the sacrifice and bravery he and the many people like him demonstrated during the war.”

A HERCULES transporter has returned to Brize Norton after more than eight years’ continuous operations against Daesh Islamist terrorists.

prepares for retirement in June.

SALUTE: RAF Regt pall bearers carry Mr Petty’s coffin into church. Right, Doug during one of his frequent visits to Leeming. Inset left, during his wartime service

INSPIRATION: Left, Gp Capt Kev Latchman adds his name to Cranwell’s Wall of Honour. Main image, on board the C-17 which launched rescue mission to Kabul

Hats off to Freda

over, she was thrilled to hang on to it.

Bird-strike horror Red nets award

Andrew Morton

A RED Arrows pilot whose jet was badly damaged in a bird strike has been recognised for his flying skills and safely landing the aircraft.

The glass in the cockpit canopy was smashed in the incident –sending shards and bird remains inside the jet, impacting Sqn Ldr Gregor Ogston on the head.

Despite the noise and force of the wind making external communication impossible, Red 6’s years of experience and training kicked in and he calmly landed the aircraft in an impressive display of airmanship.

His actions have been acknowledged with the presentation of the Royal Air Force’s highest safety award.

Sqn Ldr Ogston, who was leader of the team’s dynamic Synchro Pair routine, said: “Although awarded to me personally, it reflects on everyone at the Red Arrows who played a role in achieving a safe outcome that day.”

It was during the second half of a display at Rhyl in August last year when a large bird struck the right-hand side of the canopy, which shattered immediately.

The impact of the shards of glass and remains displaced the visor on Sqn Ldr Ogston’s flying helmet and severed a connector of his oxygen mask, which fell loose. The significant

wind blast prevented external communication.

The synchro-pair were seconds from crossing one another head-on but Red 6 maintained his heading and height to ensure a safe cross before easing away from the ground keeping the throttle in a fixed position to protect the engine.

He carried out a pre-briefed ‘escape’ manoeuvre, flying his aircraft away and towards a recovery at Hawarden airfield. Following a low-speed handling check to assess the potential for airframe damage, he subsequently flew a flawless, fixed power, straightin approach in

highly stressful circumstances to land safely.

Chief of the Air Staff ACM Sir Mike Wigston presented the aerobatic ace with a Green Endorsement – the RAF Safety Centre’s highest accolade.

Former Typhoon and Harrier pilot Sqn Ldr Ogston said: “I am particularly thankful to Red 7, Flt Lt James Turner, who escorted me to the airfield, and to the air traffic controllers and emergency services at Hawarden for their quick response and assistance during the emergency.”

The end of the 2022 display season also marked the end of Sqn Ldr Ogston’s four-year tour with the Red Arrows, which has seen him represent the RAF and the UK in 23 countries.

IT WAS hats off for a World War II WAAF during a visit to mark her 102nd birthday.

St Mawgan personnel Fg Off Haydn Maclean and Sgt Bekki Trevail-Yates popped in during Freda Cowperthwaite’s big day to deliver a card from the Station Commander and a commemorative coin.

But after meeting the veteran radio operator, who joined up as a 19-year-old, they ended up leaving a surprise gift.

Sgt Trevail-Yates said: “Freda found it entertaining trying on Fg Off Maclean’s hat so I asked her if she would like to keep mine as a memento of the occasion.

“It took a bit of convincing before she realised that I wasn’t joking, but once I had handed it

“It’s a small gesture, but Freda seemed genuinely touched.”

Freda’s daughter Anne Culliford said: “Mum was incredibly pleased that Haydn and Bekki came in uniform.

“They looked so smart and she was glad that everyone in the care home could see them.

“She was a bit worried about their thin tights, or ‘nylons’ –she used to wear woolly stockings.

“The presentation coin is very special and that will pass down through the family.”

Fg Off Maclean said: “It was wonderful meeting Freda to celebrate her 102nd birthday. She was inspiring and passionate about her time in the WAAF.”

UK signs Japan agreement

BRITISH FORCES could be deployed to Japan under a deal billed as the most important Defence treaty between the two countries for more than a century.

The agreement comes weeks after the signing of the Global Combat Air Programme pledged both nations and Italy to cooperate on fighter jets development. Under the arrangement the UK will be the first European country to have a Reciprocal Access Agreement with Japan.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “We have written the next chapter of the relationship between the UK and Japan – accelerating, building, and deepening our ties. In this

increasingly competitive world, it is more important than ever that democratic societies continue to stand shoulder to shoulder as we navigate the unprecedented global challenges of our time.”

Mr Sunak signed the accord with Japanese premier Fumio Kishida on his visit to London to rapidly accelerate defence and security cooperation, allow the partners to deploy forces in one another’s countries, and conduct more complex military exercises.

The leaders also discussed Japan’s current presidency of the G7 and the need to maintain collective support for Ukraine in the run-up to the first anniversary of Russia’s illegal invasion.

Simon Mander

HISTORIC TREATY: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a recent visit to Coningsby

RED ALERT: Sqn Ldr Ogston’s shattered Hawk T1 cockpit following bird strike

RED 6: Sqn Ldr Ogston

TAKE HAT AND PARTY: WWII WAAF Freda Copperthwaite dons Fg Off Maclean’s RAF cap. Inset left, the duo celebrate veteran’s 102nd birthday.

e

sav l ves tr a ribute airma e an

Defence sleuth saves tribute to lost airman

er

Simon Mander

ande imon M S to accidentd lyingaffl o ch cl urc r a ch afte e ly 80 y ohisfami fa t drKenn qn L S er 1941 eptemb in S fl f

rokilledin o awartimehe ardeddestinedtobedisc resented n p ee e has b sure arsafterhisdeath.

A MEMORIAL to a wartime hero killed in a flying accident destined to be discarded after a church closure has been presented to his family 80 years after his death.

Sqn Ldr Kenneth Lewis Ashfold died in September 1941 when his Lysander 417 aircraft flew into a wall at Medicine Hat live firing range in Canada.

He and Fg Off David Francis Landmack of the Royal Canadian Air Force were buried in Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa, and a brass plaque was erected in Sqn Ldr Ashfold’s memory in a church near his UK base at Porton Down.

ve edicineHat lat wa ada. andmack s L ranci id F Dav nadianAirForcewere ttawa, , O y y, oodCemeter dr qn L d in S ecte s er e wa hurchnearhisUK in a c n.

hfolddied fo ethLewisAs der 417 ysan s L en hi h 1 w w li H dii M ll lewintoa t ngeinCan g ra firin fi f D dn e a H oftheRoyalCa eechw buriedinB laque s p ras d a b an y smemorhfold’ fo As baseatPortonDow Dow oscombe B GazMcCollsaid:“ twas , i earsago 10 y scar e di o b g t goin sh kerNormanParke

Off ff Fg Station n “Whenthechurchclosed, laquewas e p sbelievedth storian t hi ur uni . O ded acquireditand allwesay

, acq y, y temporar a on oscombe s n wa catio le lo uitab t s os

Boscombe Down Station Adjutant Fg Off Gaz McColl said: “When the church closed, 10 years ago, it was believed the plaque was going to be discarded. Our unit historian Norman Parker, shall we say, acquired it and brought it back to Boscombe on a temporary basis until the most suitable location was agreed.

tur sur the wi his a f pre

rack o t y t r d t n e a ectiv n det r y mily. g fa vivin r fterthetragedyearsaft d y An sh dr A qn L t S ha y t scover e di tthetimeof y a dowandbab n y co sfinall fi ssonMalcolmwa rranged s a er wa andov l h forma fo dforan fo ayeesentationwasdelay

ny n a dow

turn detective and try to track down any surviving family.

And 80 years after the tragedy, following the discovery that Sqn Ldr Ashfold left a widow and baby at the time of his death, his son Malcolm was finally contacted and a formal handover was arranged. But the presentation was delayed for another two years by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The choice was either the Imperial War Museum, or possibly a blood relative.”

Encouraged by the distinctive name of Ashfold, Abbey Wood security information manager Alan Stuart then decided to

lWar Wa seithertheImperia ”elative. d r loo y b l thedistinctivenameof ormation y inffo Woodsecurit Wo to decided then tuart

rchaeoArc Ar

Mr Ashfold said: “Our entire family were so pleased to be invited to the commemoration presentation, when we received my father’s plaque.

ollowing , f fo y, t a ld lefft hfo fo hisdeath, tactedand he t t u . B othertwo , s B to back it o e m h l t ti s un basi agreed Thechoicewas “ ossib r p eum, o Mus Encouragedby y W bbe , A hfold fo As S Alan manager

yea we com rec spe thi

mily e fa ir the to d whenwe o y s urda remember

“Thank you for making our day so special. We shall look back and remember this day forever.”

i s di

logistsdigi

intoMODd

ata t d

Archaeologists dig into MOD data

DEFENCE archaeologists are using a new online database to protect heritage sites on military bases across the UK and abroad.

The world’s first global historic environment record will help manage finds including Bronze Age sites, Norman churches, medieval fields and Cold War facilities.

Among them is the excavation of Roman buildings at Dreamer’s Bay, an ancient port complex in Akrotiri, Cyprus, and Barrow Clump on Salisbury Plain.

olohaeol a rc CE a ar DEFEN rotect o p abasetatabdat stheUK th basesacros t g irs s f fi rld’orl e w wo Th an p m el dwillhel wi r record orman es, N No gesitAge lit r faci a ld W Wa o d C an is them th am tDream gs a at buildin rotkro kr lex in A mp comp nSalisbury p o

The MOD manages more than half of the government’s historic sites. The database provides access to heritage records and condition surveys – of more than 800 listed buildings, 700 scheduled monuments and tens of thousands of archaeological finds on Defence land.

The system captures remains at overseas sites including RAF Akrotiri, Gibraltar Naval Base and Mayan Temples on the British Army’s training area in Belize.

the pro con bu ten De site Ba tra

REMEMBERED: Sqn Ldr Kenneth Ashfold died during a training sortie in Canada in 1941. Inset above, Family is presented with church plaque honouring the WWII airman. Below, Lysander aircraft

Making the right pension choices at key stages in your Service career is crucial to your long-term financial future (even choosing the right time to leave can have a significant impact on the pension you receive). But 2023 brings with it, added complexity.

By now, you will be aware of the McCloud case and the resulting Remedy. This affects all those serving on or before 31st March 2012 and on or after 1st April 2015 (including service leavers). You will have to choose between the benefits of your legacy scheme and AFPS15 for the remedy period. And the choice will be available to service leavers from this October onwards.

Whether you continue serving or are in Resettlement, this will involve making a critical choice. To be sure you make the best of your options, join the Forces Pension Society and access the guidance provided by our expert team of Forces Pensions Consultants. It could be the best New Year resolution you make.

Independent, not-for-profit

Independence is vital to our work, calling governments to account whenever we spot unfairness or injustice in the system. We also give you a voice where it counts, on the representative bodies for Armed Forces and Public Sector Pensions.

We are funded by our Members’ subscriptions. Any surplus helps fund our outreach programmes of Roadshows, Webinars and our attendance at CTP Employment Fairs.

Visit: forcespensionsociety.org/join-now/ Annual membership for you and your spouse/ partner is just £43. You will have exclusive access to our Forces Pensions Consultants, our informative Members’ Webinars and you’ll receive our bi-annual e-newsletters and magazine, Pennant.

You’ll also have access to our wide range of membership benefits from discounts on new cars and white goods, to insurances (including our latest range of travel policies) plus a great deal more.

Peach lands plum job

Simon Mander

FORMER CHIEF of the Defence Staff and Kosovo air campaign commander Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach has been appointed the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to the Western Balkans.

The role involves working with local leaders to support and strengthen regional stability, promote strong democratic institutions, tackle serious and organised crime, and encourage the resolution of legacy issues such as war crimes and missing persons.

A former chairman of Nato’s military committee, Lord Peach was the Forward Air Commander for the Alliance’s Kosovo Force and was deputy senior British military adviser in US HQ Central Command from 2001 to 2002.

Commissioned into the Royal Air Force in 1974, he qualified as a nuclear, weapons and electronic warfare instructor and was Chief of Joint Operations at Permanent Joint Headquarters, commanding all UK forces in support of Nato operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya.

THE FIRST Air Force officer to participate in the international Peace with Women Fellowship heard an address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the Russian invasion.

Gp Capt Leah Griffin joined the programme which brings together senior female military officers from Nato countries and addresses the world’s most pressing security challenges.

She said: “It was a privilege to engage with global allies advancing the participation of women in national security.”

Transgender RAF veteran launches UK gay ban probe

A RESEARCH study into the experiences of veterans affected by the ban on gay people serving in the military has been launched by a former navigator who became the RAF’s first openly transgender woman.

Fighting With Pride CEO Caroline Paige (pictured left), who campaigns to help those affected by the prohibition, said: “In the recent history of the UK no group of Armed Forces veterans have faced such wilful neglect and intended exclusion.

“For decades, these men and women faced the challenges of Service life, and so many other challenges placed in their path.

In their lives beyond service, they have faced alone the rigours forced upon them by the ‘ban’ and the demons of their past.

“LGBT+ veterans talk of squadrons, ships and regiments, arduous deployments, of friendships made and those they have lost.

“They love their Service like all other veterans and are rightly proud of today’s Armed Forces and, given their past, their pride in our Armed Forces is remarkable.

“When this work is completed, we hope that many more of our veterans will be proud of their service. We also hope that the organisations that have a duty to support them will redouble their endeavours and work together to bring this

community in from the cold.”

The first ever probe of its kind focuses on a group of LGBT+ veterans recruited from across the UK who enlisted before the prohibition was lifted in January 2000.

The study by Northumbria University’s Northern Hub for Veterans and Military Families

Research shows the stark reality of life for those serving during the ‘gay ban’ and highlights the urgent need to ensure specific health and welfare needs are identified and effective support services developed.

It is not known exactly how many military veterans ended their careers because of the prohibition

but it is understood that thousands were affected by the policy.

The report was revealed at the first- -ever UK conference of specialists from academia, health and social care, local government, and charities set up to influence national policy and deliver support for LGBT+ veterans.

Simon Mander

POLICY CHANGE: MoD lit up in Pride colours to mark the 20th anniversary of the lifting of the ban in 2020. Right, navigator Caroline on board a Merlin during a Christmas Day mission in Iraq

APPOINTMENT: ACM Sir Stuart Peach is appointed Balkan envoy by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

GP CAPT GRIFFIN

Fries fighter

Typhoon and Hercules lift off powered by eco-fuel made from recycled chip fat and bio-waste

Simon Mander

A FIGHTER jet and a transporter have become the latest aircraft to fly on recycled chip fat as the RAF seeks to become carbon neutral by 2040.

A Typhoon and C-130 Hercules were topped up with a 46-48 per cent blend of sustainable and regular jet fuel to test the ‘green kerosene,’ made from waste-based sustainable feedstocks like cooking oil.

An RAF spokesman said: “This was a first for both Typhoon and the Hercules and we believe that we are the first Air Force to conduct an air-to-air refuelling operation with a sustainable aviation fuel blend at this level.

“We have learnt a great deal during this trial and now have confidence in our ability to use blends of fuel now and in the future.

“The trial proved there is no detriment to performance as we strive towards reduced emissions targets.”

Green fuel reduces lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80 per cent compared to conventional kerosene and its use should lessen the RAF’s reliance on global supply chains and fossil fuels.

Defence Minister Baroness

Goldie said: “This is another key achievement in the Air Force’s remarkable progress to increase their use of sustainable fuel.

“With potential benefits for the environment and operational resilience, this important work alongside expert defence industry and scientific teams in the UK is crucial for the RAF’s future resilience.”

The tests follow initial trials by a Voyager that flew on 100 per cent sustainable fuel last November.

Boulmer showcases UK air defences as NATO backs Finland membership bid

FINNISH AIR FORCE delegates got a rare insight into the UK’s air defence system during a visit to Boulmer.

The fact-finding mission, that included a senior Danish officer, came just days after Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg underlined his backing for bids by Finland and Sweden to join the Alliance.

The visitors toured the RAF’s Control and Reporting Centre, run by 19 Squadron, which coordinates the response to potential threats including unscheduled military aircraft or unresponsive civilian airliners approaching British airspace.

Wg Cdr Graham Crow said: “We were delighted to welcome our Finnish and Danish colleagues and show them the capabilities of Guardian, the UK’s world-leading Air Command and Control System.

“It reinforced the importance of the UK’s relationship with Joint Expeditionary Force countries and included productive discussion on the need for wider investment in Air Command and Control.”

At the Folk och Försvar Security Conference Mr Stoltenberg said he is confident that Nato is set to

‘warmly welcome’ Sweden and Finland into the Alliance.

And he called for increased support to Ukraine, warning that

underestimating

Max factor

BATTLING FIVE-YEAR-OLD Max Hall has scooped an award from military charity Little Troopers for supporting RAF mum Rebecca – despite coping with a form of cerebral palsy.

The Odiham-based youngster was nominated for the ‘Trooper of the Month’ award by Mum for helping take care of the family while his airman dad is deployed to the frontline.

She said: “Max is one of the most inspiring little boys you will likely have the pleasure to meet. He’s always incredibly brave when we have to go to the doctor’s or the hospital and he takes everything in his stride.

Joint

Force both the RAF and Finnish Air Force are keen to learn more about operating together.

“When his Dad goes away, Max obviously misses him like crazy, but he also tells me he is the man of the house and wants to look after me and his little sister.”

AWARD: RAF youngster Max Hall

BIO-FUEL BREAKTHROUGH: Typhoon and Hercules refuelled by a Voyager tanker using a mix of recycled and traditional aviation fuel

Simon Mander

Russia could have “major consequences for security in the Nordic region.”

As members of the 10-strong

Expeditionary

SKY GUARDIANS: Finnish military team during a fact-finding visit to Boulmer’s control and reporting centre which monitors UK airspace round the clock

VOYAGER

ZERO TOLERANCE

No place for misogyny and harassment in a modern, family-friendly fighting force

DEFENCE CHIEFS have vowed to wipe out ‘toxic culture’ in the military with a policy of zero tolerance to bullying, sexism and inappropriate behaviour across the ranks.

Defence Minister for People, Veterans and Service Families Dr Andrew Murrison issued a hardline warning to offenders.

He said: “Recent high-profile examples show how seriously military top brass take this issue and that they will act decisively and quickly to stamp it out.

“The men and women of our Armed Forces reflect society, but we insist on additional norms and values.

“That is what makes Defence what it is. Examples like this demonstrate that Defence is not immune from things that go on in society but that we have the resolve to improve standards across the board.

“It is the job of ministers to ensure that in Defence we do all we can to make everybody feel safe, welcome and valued – that is what lies at the

heart of our policy of zero tolerance.”

A pledge to take swift action against inappropriate behaviours highlights the Defence drive to create a more inclusive fighting force, where everyone can thrive, while also being attractive to groups where it has traditionally struggled to recruit, including women and young people from ethnic minority groups.

He added: “Defence has traditionally been a masculine area, but it is changing. Going forward we will have to embrace a range of skills and some of those might be attractive to people who have traditionally not looked to us as a career option – that is the recruitment challenge.”

Among the package of incentives designed to modernise the employment offer and improve retention of personnel is up to £3,000 to help cover the cost of childcare and ease the pressure on families struggling to cope with the cost of

living, deployments and frequent moves.

Forces housing is going through a major shake-up, with options to rent in the private sector providing more choice for personnel, while the Help to Buy scheme offers free loans

SHOT ACROSS THE BOWS: Navy Reservist and former sailor, Defence Minister for People, Veterans and Service Families Dr Andrew Murrison, has issued a hardline warning

TAKING ACTION: Dr Murrison during a recent visit to RAF High Wycombe

TOLERANCE

to cover the cost of deposits to help military families get on the property ladder.

Competition with the private sector to attract the most talented recruits is fierce and the Armed Forces have their sights fixed on attracting more women. The RAF has set itself a challenge to double the number of women currently serving to 40 per cent by 2030.

Dr Murrison added: “Women bring things that are exceptionally valuable to Defence. The Armed Forces will look and feel very different going forward with a different skill mix.

“Women will be increasingly prevalent at all levels. The challenge is to ensure we have a significant portion of Defence made up of women and that their careers have the same trajectory. We are now getting very senior members of Defence who are women and that will continue.”

Before entering politics Dr Murrison served with the Navy, completing tours in Iraq and Northern Ireland, and is still a Reservist.

He published a book on the Military Covenant and heralds the accord with civilian employers as one of the key pillars of military welfare.

He said: “The Covenant has been a phenomenon over the last decade. I have been with it along the journey and

seen it grow and prosper and become inculcated in local communities in an impressive way.

“It is designed to deal with any disadvantage that men and

women of the Armed Forces might have by virtue of their service.

“It is that level playing field that the covenant is aimed at providing. It is not a guarantee that the state or anyone else will make life brilliant, for anyone who has served their country knows that is not how it works.

“It is there to ensure fairness and most veterans and serving personnel understand that. They are expecting to be dealt with fairly and for any disadvantage they have suffered through their service to be taken into account and that at its heart is what it is there to achieve.”

While UK Defence competes with blue chip civilian companies for the UK’s high flyers, Dr Murrison says the Armed Forces must also keep the talent it has already attracted.

He added: “The litmus test for success is whether people are happy with their Service experience and the metric would be our figures on recruitment and retention. There is no point in attracting people to an organisation if you don’t hold on to them. It is expensive to train people and we don’t want them to feel they have joined an organisation which, within a short space of time, isn’t giving them what they need.

“If I had to pick a measure of success it would be our ability to retain the people we have attracted in the first place.”

PARADE: Personnel at RAF Benson during ceremony to receive a new standard

RAF HALTON: Seeing more female recruits

FAMILY MATTERS: Defence drive to make Forces life easier on parents and children

RAF NEWS has joined forces with sleeping bag and insulated clothing manufacturer Snugpak, to offer one lucky reader a Tomahawk Jacket and Parallax Pants, together worth more than £300.

Since they were first established in 1977, Snugpak have worked from their factory in West Yorkshire to become the leading UKbased manufacturer of sleeping bags, tents and outdoor clothing and equipment.

They offer a wide range of products for everyday hiking, bushcraft and survival, and for military and tactical situations. The company are two times winners of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise and were awarded the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Award in 2013.

The Tomahawk (SRP £194-£227) is Snugpak’s cold weather insulated jacket, with a detachable and fully insulated hood and an extended scooped back for added protection. Available in both olive and multicam, and in unisex sizes S-XXL, the Tomahawk is windproof, breathable and water repellent, and ideal for use as a mid-layer or outer layer in dry weather. Snugpak’s exclusive Softie insulation provides a comfort rating of -15C˚, and an elasticated drawcordadjustable hem helps to trap warm air and to further aid insulation. All of that, combined with a brushed collar and deep hand warmer

pockets, makes the Tomahawk the ideal winter companion.

Snugpak’s Parallax Pants (SRP £119£180) are insulated trousers with detachable and adjustable braces and full-length zip –the perfect companion to the Tomahawk. Thanks again to Softie insulation, the Parallax have a comfort rating of -5C˚, with a metal waist fastener and durable knee and bum waterproof reinforced patches. The two-way full leg YKK® Zip makes it easy to whip the Parallax on or off, and a meshbottomed stuff sack is supplied for easy and compact carrying.

To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is send us the correct answer to this question:

When was Snugpak first established?

Email your answer, marked Snugpak competition, to: competitions@rafnews. co.uk or post it to: RAF News, Room 58, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, HP14 4UE, to arrive by February 10. By entering you agree to your email details being shared with Snugpak for marketing purposes.

If you’re picked as the lucky winner, please state your clothing size and colour choice – olive or multicam.

Go to: snugpak.com to find out more about Snugpak’s latest products.

Danish air gunner awarded the DFC

FLIGHT LIEUTENANT Peter Fischer, who has died aged 99, flew 52 operations with Bomber Command, the most by a Danish national. The majority of his attacks were with the Pathfinder Force.

The son of Danish parents living in London, Fischer enlisted on September 24, 1943. It soon became clear that there was a surplus of pilots under training at that stage of the war. Anxious to see action, Fischer agreed to be an air gunner. He completed his training in September, was commissioned and joined Flt Lt Ken Gooch and his crew to convert to the Halifax bomber.

In May 1944, they were posted to 10 Squadron, just as Bomber Command was beginning a campaign to support the Allied landings in Normandy. After two sorties, they were transferred to 35 Squadron, a Lancaster squadron in the Pathfinder Force.

Shortly after D-Day, the Germans began launching the first V-1 flying bombs against London from sites mainly in the Pas de Calais region in northern France. Bomber Command began a campaign of heavy attacks against the launching ramps and the weapon storage facilities.

Fischer was one of three Danish airmen to participate in these operations. His first

operation was against the launch site at St Philibert on July 14. Over the next few days, he attacked another four similar targets.

Fischer’s last operation against the V-1 threat was carried out on August 9 when the target was the storage site at Forêt de Nieppe. This was the first time the crew operated in the Pathfinder role when they illuminated the target for the main bomber force. In early September, advancing Allied troops reached the last launch ramps within easy reach of London, and the immediate threat was over.

52

operations on Bomber Command

In the meantime, Fischer and his crew attacked targets in support of the ground operation in Normandy, including attacks against Caen, St Lo and in the Falaise area. By mid-August, the Allied forces had finally broken through the German defences in Normandy. This meant that Bomber Command were able to resume the strategic bombing campaign against Germany, even if the command would still be assisting ground forces from time to time.

By the end of the Normandy campaign,

A primary target was Germany’s oil industry, while the transportation system and tank and motor-vehicle production became a second priority. Only when weather or tactical conditions were unsuitable for operations against these targets would operations against important industrial areas take place.

Fischer took part in the daylight attack on the Nordstern synthetic oil factory in Gelsenkirchen. Two more attacks followed before the end of November, on the oil factories at Wanne Eickel and Koblenz.

In the New Year, oil-related targets continued to be the main priority and over the next few weeks his crew marked numerous targets including the synthetic oil factory at Leuna, near Leipzig.

In early 1945 the Air Ministry had developed a plan – Operation Thunderclap – for a series of heavy raids against German

cities in the east to disrupt the increasingly hard-pressed German war machine. With the battle fronts in the west and the east on German territory, and the Soviet army advancing from the east, it was decided to implement the plan with an attack against Dresden on the night of February 14/15, followed by an attack against Chemnitz. Fischer’s crew operated as a blind marker in the second wave on each mission.

On February 20, he took off on his final operation when the target was Dortmund. He had flown 52 missions since arriving at 10 Squadron in April 1944, including preparations for the invasion in Normandy, the bombing of flying bomb launch sites and storage facilities, the oil industry and the final bombing campaign on Germany. He had completed more operations in Bomber Command than any other Dane and was awarded the DFC. His pilot, Ken Gooch, received a Bar to an earlier DFC.

After a period as an instructor at a bomber training unit, Fischer left for Germany where he worked with a Missing Research and Enquiry Unit, responsible for searching, identifying and the reburial of those missing in action – a particularly harrowing task.

After training as a teacher, he first lived in Canada before settling in California.

Fischer’s crew were well established in the Pathfinder role and flew all their future operations illuminating and marking the target with flares.

AIR GUNNER: Peter Fischer (2nd from right)

Cold War fighter pilot, bobsleigh champion and speed enthusiast

AVM ‘Boz’ Robinson

AIR VICE-MARSHAL

Brian Robinson, always known as ‘Boz’, who has died aged 86, had a passion for speed. A Cold War fighter pilot and an RAF bobsleigh champion, he was still flying the Hunter on the air display scene 45 years after first taking the helm of the iconic fighter.

He joined the RAF in September 1954 and trained as a National Service pilot, first at RAF Feltwell before continuing on the Vampire at Swinderby. He joined No 18 Hunter Course at Chivenor in June 1956 before joining 74 Squadron at Horsham St Faith, near Norwich. Like many fighter pilots at the time, he fell victim to the Sandys Defence White Paper of 1957, which saw the disbandment of fighter squadrons and pilots assigned to different duties.

Robinson completed the flying instructor’s course at CFS before training pilots on Oxford University Air Squadron. In 1962 he returned to the frontline after converting to the Canberra, before joining 73 Squadron at Akrotiri.

He qualified as a Pilot Attack Instructor and, with his fighter background, was determined to develop ground attack tactics more akin to the fighter philosophy than the more traditional bomber approach. Some of the hierarchy were not convinced, but Robinson pressed on with his ideas. He later served in the Strike Wing at Akrotiri before returning to MOD to join the flight safety department.

After attending Staff College, he left for No 4 FTS at Valley, the first of a series of appointments at the base and where he was first introduced to the Gnat jet trainer. He left to join the directing staff of the Canadian Forces Staff College in Toronto in August 1974 and, two years later, returned to Valley as the chief instructor, where he oversaw the introduction of the Hawk as replacement for the Gnat.

After promotion to Gp Capt, he was appointed the Station Commander in August 1978. During his tours at Valley, he was able to renew his acquaintance, and love affair, with the Hunter, which was used in addition to the Gnat and then the Hawk for advanced pilot training.

After serving at NATO, he studied Russian before travelling to Moscow to take up the post of British Defence and Air Attaché in December 1983. He travelled widely in the Soviet Union, but was always conscious of the ever-present ‘company’ his visits attracted. Throughout his two-year tenure, the Cold War was at its height and Robinson faced many difficulties and sensitive situations; and not always as a result of Russian obstruction and intransigence, but also tetchy dealings with the Foreign Office in London. He always maintained that two years under constant surveillance was quite sufficient and was pleased to return to Britain and a ‘normal life.’

He returned to MOD in September 1986 as the Director of Quartering before serving as Air Officer Administration at HQ Strike Command. He retired from the RAF in July 1991.

During his service in the RAF, he was three times the RAF bobsleigh champion.

Robinson’s love of flying never left him. In retirement he flew both the Hunter and the Gnat at air displays. At the 2001 International Air Tattoo, he won the best display prize, the King Hussein Memorial Sword, when he reflected that he probably held a record for the longest time period between his first public Hunter display in 1958 and the last. He commented: “Not bad for an old fighter pilot – well over 40 years of good fun.”

He particularly enjoyed flying a Gnat down the straight at the Silverstone motor racing circuit many years after he had driven a Formula Junior along the same straight in the 1950s.

He delivered a Hunter to South Africa via Egypt and flew many hours instructing private pilots at home and abroad. In June 2006, with a retired RAF colleague (who had been his first student at Oxford UAS in 1959), he delivered a refurbished 1930s-era Bücker Jungmann biplane from Duxford to a German flying group at Hamm.

In later life he moved to live in Thailand, where he died in December.

SPECIAL DELIVERY: AVM Robinson prior to flying the refurbished Jungmann biplane to Hamm in North RhineWestphalia, Germany in 2006

robot to trials Force that reduce availability its reduce injuries improve said: technology time explore harness the being Exoskeletons –handle free-moving and

Type 86 radar

ROCKET: Bloodhound

to the

FIRST

BLOOD: Tech team are now seeking a home for the Cold War defence system

Cold war reboot

article in RAF News No 1548 (dated November 18), on the Bloodhound system, I would like to clarify a statement made in the last paragraph. The Type 86 refers to the Ferranti Type 86 search and guidance radar, not to the missile.

A COLD WAR era missile that once defended RAF bases across the world has been restored by volunteers.

Ferranti were the supplier of the air transportable radar, the missile electronics and the launch control post. I think the rocket, called Bloodhound, was supplied by Bristol Aircraft Company.

The rare Bloodhound MKII complete with launch control post and Type 86 radar was abandoned for more than 20 years, vandalised, and left derelict before being acquired by ex-Air Force technicians and Ferranti engineers.

I was a technician working on the Type 87 radar, a larger search and guidance radar, also part of the Bloodhound system, and then part of a modification team working on the LCP.

THE RECENT furore in the press concerning ex-military pilots helping to train the Chinese Air Force has an interesting historical background. In his book Sagittarius Rising [inset], first published in 1936, Cecil Lewis describes teaching the Chinese to fly.

Lewis was awarded a Military Cross at 18, was a Flight Commander Instructor at 19 and was demobbed shortly after the Armistice at the age of 20. A civilian job with Vickers Aviation followed and he test flew the Vickers Vimy.

As I understand it, the Bloodhound was never fired in anger, although there were stories of exciting firings at Aberporth range in West Wales.

Robert Allen ex RAF

And hundreds of man hours later, after scouring eBay for spares and working with a Swiss museum, the Bloodhound Missile Preservation Group has restored the surface to air missile system to working order.

In its heyday, the air defence weapon was deployed in the UK, Germany, Singapore, Malaysia, Borneo, and Libya and was bought by Sweden, Singapore, and Switzerland.

The main challenge was to get the simulator functioning again to demonstrate how the MKII was used defensively and to engage hostile targets.

The team are now restoring their Type 86 Bloodhound and are looking for a permanent home for its public display.

WHILST STATIONED at RAF St Mawgan in 1976, I was left alone in the CO’s office where I noticed an early 1960s wall mounted photograph of a line of aircrew standing in front of their aircraft, a mighty Boeing B-52 and an amazing North American X-15.

robotics air power

A little later the CO, Gp Capt Harry Archer, returned to his office, noted my interest in the photo and asked if I recognised two familiar faces in the line-up. After closer scrutiny I was able to correctly identify him as a younger-looking Sqn Ldr but couldn’t name anyone else, although I did mention that one of the others seemed vaguely familiar.

To my shame, he told me that the face I couldn’t put a name to was the world-renowned first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong. My embarrassment was complete.

maintenance and augmented reality headsets and a digital twin of the aircraft with its maintenance history.

Despite failing his identification test, the CO was happy to answer my many subsequent questions about the photo.

BAE Head of Technology Delivery, Support and Training Nick Sharples said: “New technologies and solutions for future fast jet support helps us deliver leading-edge capabilities and value for money to the RAF on the front line, whilst also reducing the environmental impact of operations.”

In spring 1915, as a 6ft 3in, 16-year-old at Oundle School, he wrote to the War Office asking to join the RFC and was interviewed by Lord Hugh Cecil. Lewis was accepted and flying training at Brooklands followed in a Morris Farman Longhorn biplane. Commissioned in December 1915, he was posted to 9 Squadron at Amiens and, with only 20 hours air time in his logbook, started flying photographic patrols in a BE2C across the German lines. He flew six hours most days, and was overhead Boisselle on July 7, 1916 when my grandfather, a Private in the Lincolnshire Regiment, was killed at Marnett Wood.

When Lewis was 21 the Peking representative of Vickers Ltd negotiated an aviation deal with the central government in Peking for the supply of 50 Avros and 40 commercial Vimys with the necessary spares to form a training school for Chinese pilots. Lewis, a fellow pilot and eight mechanics travelled to Venice by train and then shipped out to Shanghai and finally onto Peking. Eventually trainee pilots clad in silk coats from shoulder to ankle, hands hidden in their sleeves,

its own rocket engine which blasted it away at an unbelievable speed, often reaching and exceeding 4,000mph – a fabulous aeroplane.

Before his moon adventure, Neil Armstrong was one of the X-15 pilots.

With the above in mind, I feel it’s entirely appropriate that the former St Mawgan runway took centre stage during the recent Virgin Orbiter space programme which saw another ‘loaned’ RAF Sqn Ldr piloting a huge ‘mother ship’ tasked

appeared. There was a long delay before the British aircraft arrived in Peking. A year after his last flight in the UK the crates containing the Avro aircraft arrived and the machines were erected by the British mechanics and flight tested. Lewis was allocated eight pupils. All instructions were conducted via an interpreter whose understanding of geometry, science and English was rudimentary. In the Chinese winter, 10 degrees below freezing, the instructors tried to teach flying skills to men with sluggish reactions. Six months later some pupils had gone solo. His best pupil died when the Vimy he was flying burst into flames in mid-air.

tried

The Vickers team had an ambition to inaugurate a commercial service covering the 800 miles between Peking and Shanghai in four hops. However, the Chinese method of management and bribes and flooded airfields made for interminable delays before a small bag of mail was flown on the first cross country leg. Overnight a violent thunder storm resulted in a fast-flowing torrent separating Lewis from his aeroplane. It was two days before the aircraft could be flown back to Peking. That was the end of the 1921 Peking-Shanghai air service. Lewis resigned his post, returned to London and, aged 24, took a job at the fledgling BBC as Deputy Head of Programmes. He became friends with Bernard Shaw, won an Oscar for his 1938 adaption of Pygmalion, and retired to Corfu in 1960, where he died in 1997 aged 98.

Royal Air News Friday, November 18, 2022 P7 News In Brief Stair master Rocket men Simon AS first space from UK soil expected this month got behind-the-scenes account the Air Force unit that got the rocket from the USA Spaceport ready for lift-off. Not many people get asked to move 70-foot-long rocket by from America to Britain. But that’s the mission Space Command set RAF specialists from Brize-based Joint Air Delivery Test and (JADTEU) who are no strangers shifting unusual loads. Since being established in the team’s delivery and airportability experts moved Spitfires, combat damaged aircraft and helicopters,NatoLeopardSubmarine Rescue System. when Virgin Orbit needed to relocate their delivery Rocket Launcher One long twice the length London bus there was only one Air Force And only one aircraft to do the job – C17 transporter. “Being tasked moving space rocket doesn’t happen day in the RAF,” Trials Management Officer Flt Charlie “The physical move of Launcher culmination of over months of planning and research alongside teams from Virgin Orbit and Space Command.” To safely transport the rocket, which took up giant Globemaster’s entire cargo JADTEU engineers designed sled and flew to Detroit to see their in production. Then came “Departing Brize for MacDill Air Force Base Florida, we were closely monitoring hurricane that had just passed through,” Flt Lt Warden. “We then Air Reserve Base to trial and collect the On arrival, the team began to prepare the load and into the evening to make of the remaining Californian daylight.” “Departing for final night stop on the USA, few were holding their breath as the space never been moved by air before. first for too. After wet and windy night in Maine the team took off for Newquay Spaceport where the offload went without JADTEU detachment returned Load Team member AS1 Harrild said: was posted to the Airportability section shortly before the Orbit task, so was amazing task to be such unique,“Employedhigh-profile as part of team, was huge honour and proud moment to contribute to the Space Mission”. The rocket named ‘Start Me Up,’ after the Rolling hit is on track to launch this month to modified Boeing 747-400 dubbed ‘Cosmic Girl,’ flown by test pilot Sqn Ldr Mathew Stannard. But for the that got there its back to usual. “Every day on JADTEU different and never know what’s around work for Airportability doesn’t stop with currently over 100 trials ongoing,” by RAF pilot Sqn Ldr Mathew rocket into space from 35,000 PHOTOS Simon Mander the RAF’s new fleet airborne early warning and its distinctive Three Wedgetail be operated by Sqn Lossiemouth are having their MultiScannedElectronically Array kit installed Birmingham. Chief of Staff Capability for Intelligence, Surveillance Reconnaissance Cdre Alex Hicks said: “This highly complex technology undeniably exposed to the challenges facing global supply chains. MESA sensor demonstrates the progress toward the capability Wedgetail entering RAF frontline The Northrop Grumman equipment housed on the spine the aircraft fuselage section. It provides the Wedgetails with 360-degree coverage providing mission the tools needed airborne and maritime while maintaining continuous surveillance an operational area. Sting in the tail VET Ben wilson has completed his fund-raising bid scale the top peaks by climbing his own The 45-year-old who spinal injuries during traiing accident has spent three years on challenge and will donate the cash he Forces charity SSAFA. SqnLdrStannard FLASHBACK: RAF News, November 18, 2022 TEST PILOT: Neil Armstrong with an X-15 rocketplane after a flight in 1960 PHOTO: NASA

with carrying and launching a rocket-propelled craft from under its wing in much the same way as St Mawgan’s old boss used to do some 60 years ago.

Quite remarkable.

Sqn Ldr on the money

Chinese Air Force link nothing new St Mawgan’s space odyssey continues

World

21 Royal Air Force News News Dads’ mission who lost daughters again raise awareness of the biggest killer of under 35s in the UK. Tim Owen were brought together by the deaths of their girls Beth, Sophie, their charity walk raise funds for mental health charity Papyrus. Emily, pictured below, struggled with autism but planned into nursing career. She attempted days later, the was born 19 years “I strongly believe that in and my family’s lives would be on behind devastating ripple effect on The trio walked from Northern Ireland, across to Edinburgh, down on the way by RAF personnel. Last year’s 300-mile walk raised £10,000 personal donation by Bond star Daniel Craig. have arrived in Qatar to secure the skies during Coningsby’s 12 Sqn aircraft codenamed Operation Thariyat Arabic for Typhoon. their squadron mascot, aircrews will police Qatari skies during the event (QAEF). Executive Officer Sqn Ldr Luke since reformed in 2018 and paraded standard to the He said: “My tour on the career and round off with the departure of the last wave fantastic.” 12 Sqn was formed in squadron to train Qatari pilots and engineers on the Typhoon after Systems for the jets shortly after being made hosts of the World Cup Finals. recently delivered, as reported RAF with more likely follow before In addition to sharing Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) duties during the event, 12 up of the first QAEF Typhoon squadron. Pressed for his predictions for the felt that both England and Wales, who have been drawn in the same group, potential winners.

That same edition also contained my letter appealing for information on Exercise Purple Warrior ’87, which did produce a few responses, one of which mentioned that the then Padre of RAF Wittering lost his life in a car crash on his journey home from the exercise.

As I have failed to obtain verification of this despite contacting both the station and the RAF Chaplains Association, I wonder if any RAF News readers have any information on this? Even his name would help.

If you have, please contact me at: mbritton2@aol.com

Mick Britton Rotherham

In Brief

PREDICTION: In RAF News October 21

AS A footnote to the Up For The World Cup piece in RAF News No 1551 (January 13) I would like to draw your attention to Sqn Ldr Luke Wilkinson’s spot-on prediction of Argentina as winners of the tournament at the end of my Typhoons onside for World Cup tour article in RAF News No 1546 (October 21). Anyone who placed a bet on the strength of this would be quids in and have RAF News to thank for their good fortune.

Astra’s still the star of urban chic

IT’S HARD to know what to say about the Vauxhall Astra. It’s like a family heirloom, part of the furniture that you walk past every day without even noticing it because it’s been there since well before you were born. To have even driven an original Mk 1 Astra, the year it was launched, you’d have to be over 60.

It’s been through so many incarnations that, depending on when you started driving, you’ll love it, hate it, or simply regard it as four wheels and somewhere to sit while you get to where you’re going. That’s because some Astra’s have been brilliant, some have been as exciting as beige corduroy and others have been absolute pigs.

Fortunately, I’m here to tell you, the 2023 Astra is one of the good ones.

Outside

Vauxhall is proud of its newest Astra so, to ensure that it’s noticed, from space, it’s been launched in Electric Yellow. Honestly, that sounds pretty naff but it looks ruddy good in the metal.

T his is the first Astra to be designed since

Vauxhall was bought from General Motors by Peugeot and yet the front grille gives off Chevrolet Camaro vibes, in a squashed down, European sort of way. The coachwork is carefully crafted, with a crisp ridge running down the middle of the bonnet. Having driven many classics over the years, I love this. Looking down the bonnet, from the driver’s seat, it harks back to the Astra’s predecessor, the Vauxhall Viva. Quirky, but I like it.

Looking at the side profile, you’re struck by the horizontal lines that lead to the wheel

Verdict

arches and the fluted black triangles behind the rear doors. These are another classic nod to the past, this time to the Mk1 Astra from the early 80s. It’s lower and wider than the previous model, with a black roof that helps to emphasise the sleek look. At the rear there are slim lights and thoughtfully crafted contours that give it real character.

Inside

The Astra’s cabin has a nice feel to it. The retro nods continue inside with a thoroughly modern cockpit but angular lines to the dash and the thin steering wheel spokes giving it an 80s GTE feel. The digital instrument panel is viewed perfectly through the wheel and is complemented by a head-up display to keep your eyes on the road. The graphics are sharp and easy to read at a glance.

In the plug-in hybrid (PHEV), the text of

pocket rocket but it’s lively enough to keep your interest. Lower trim levels are keenly priced, but the top trims raise the outlay to a level that puts it in a fight with some seriously stiff competition.

In my experience, incarnations of the Astra are a bit like graffiti; some you love, some you hate and some manage to turn the most mundane objects into works of art that genuinely surprise you.

For what it’s worth, I think the eighthgeneration Astra verges on the latter.

the speedometer readout turns blue when you’re on electric power too, so you always know when you’re running emissions free. The infotainment system is intuitive to operate and rapid to respond.

The seats in the Ultimate model are particularly comfortable, with plenty of support for enthusiastic cornering. Finding a comfortable seating position is easy, with plenty of adjustment on both the seat and steering wheel.

On The Road

I love driving early Astras because they have a simplicity that makes them fun. Due to modern safety regulations and the use of electronics, cars just don’t have that rawness these days, but the new Astra feels less bland than many modern rivals.

The suspension set-up, combined with

a well-designed chassis, gives it a more composed ride than either the Peugeot 308 or the benchmark hatch, the VW Golf. It handles well through the bends and cruises neatly on the motorway, providing a good balance between agility and stability. The hybrid is quiet too. Around town it’s forgiving enough to cushion you over the speed bumps.

A quick look at the stats: 0-60mph in 7.7 seconds and a top speed of 140mph from the 180PS hybrid, with an official fuel consumption figure of 256mpg. In reality you’re never going to achieve that economy but the Astra certainly won’t drink you out of house and home. In regular hybrid mode, even after the 12.4kWh battery’s depleted, it’s still more economical than the 1.2. Electriconly range is given as 43 miles.

The hybrid has an 8-speed automatic gearbox which operates well when you’re pottering around. Start giving it some hoof however and you soon spot its faults. The gap between second and third is epic and it can feel a bit clunky at times. It’s not a disaster, by any means, but it’s not the car’s strongest selling point.

Vauxhall Astra, PHEV

OLD SCHOOL: 1982 Astra

Change doesn't faze Coleman

Grassroots revamp but RAF rugby still where it wants to be

FS JUSTIN Coleman has lit the blue touch paper as RAF men’s rugby union blasts off for this year’s Inter-Services championship.

Having run his eye over some of the future stars of Service rugby during the recent U23s and Development IS matches and his own team’s lastgasp 2022 fixture, Coleman spoke to RAF News Sport as he closes in on the first of the senior men’s training camps at RAF Cosford.

“We had pushed for an early fixture [RAF lost 34-22 to a Rams Titans second XV at Old Bath Road] to get some of the younger lads involved [U23s and Development] to build our squad numbers, so we were able to test them at the training camp at Cosford before the first of our warm-up matches.

“It’s a bit disjointed this year as we have had restructuring at both Development and U23s level and,

RUGBY LEAGUE

of course, a lot of stuff was done remotely post-Covid, but we are now where we would normally be pre-Covid.

“The Rams game was good to see, as we got the chance to throw the younger players in at the deep end, against decent opposition. We played some really good stuff, the work rate was great, and we scored some good tries and had 25 lads involved.”

For the start of the camps Coleman will be joined by Fg Off Dave Manning as the new forwards coach, Flt Lt Rob Bell as assistant coach, with Sgt AJ Morgan as backs coach.

“We knew where we needed to improve from last season, so I am happy that my choices are in place,” said Coleman.

“Rob can bring his aggression, AJ is coaching regularly at Bury St Edmunds plus to see Dave moving across to the coaching side, it’s quite

exciting to get this going and to get everyone together.”

Never one to fear change, Coleman said of the mass switches across the board: “You must embrace change, it is never one person’s plan, everyone has to buy in, we are very player-led in the way we work.

“We push the lads out to gain experience from their civilian

clubs, where they are learning from good level coaches there and bringing it back. We support that culture, a learning culture, as much as possible.

“As long as it’s constructive and fits into what we are trying to do, then that change will always be beneficial.”

The senior team will play: l Chinnor at Chinnor RFC,

Kingsey Road, Thame, February 8 – KO 7.45pm.

l British Police at Stourbridge RFC, February 15 – KO 7.45pm.

l Coventry at Coventry RFC at Butts Park Arena, March 1 – KO 7.45pm.

l IS: Royal Navy – venue TBC –March 23 – KO TBC.

l IS: Army at Gloucester RFC, Kingsholme, April 15 – KO 3.15pm.

Bell Tolls in Cup

DREAMS OF Challenge Cup glory were writ large as the RAF found themselves in the hat for the first-round draw of the prestigious rugby league cup at Wembley.

St Helens women’s stars Eboni Partington and Wigan’s Kai Pearce-Paul handed the Service an achievable tie as they were drawn to play Yorkshire Men’s League runners-up Doncaster Toll Bar away.

Men’s senior team captain Cpl Ben Mellor was in bullish mood about the drawer, saying: “I think Donny Toll Bar will be a strong, well-established team as Yorkshire Men’s League runnersup. Our squad is looking strong, could be stronger in areas, and I think we could go 2nd or 3rd round. Let’s get Toll Bar out of the way first.”

The last time the RAF reached the second round of the tournament was in 2019, having

beaten North Herts Crusaders away 22-6, they narrowly missed out on the third round after losing 14-6 away at Distington.

FS Garry Dunn’s charges fell at the first hurdle last year, going down 24-6 away to Thornhill Trojans.

The head coach said: “Toll Bar are a good club, play-off finalists in the Yorkshire Men’s League last year – so this is a good chance to test ourselves, we also have a good squad and have some good new faces.

“I think we set a bar last year in the IS, beating the Army 28-4, so I hope this season we can kick on from that.

“If we show up, have a good attitude and take it how it comes, we can get through. It’s all down to attitude, get that right and we could see ourselves progress.”

The fixture will take place on February 11 at 2pm at Prospect Road, Toll Bar, Doncaster.

Trust is key for forwards coach

SQUADRON LEADER Ian Cokayne believes trust, coupled with some exciting new prospects, could be key to the women’s rugby union stars 2023 IS season.

Cokayne was speaking to RAF News as the squad, led by head coach WO John Wilding, prepare for their first training camp and warm-up fixture at Halton, before they play Henley Hawks.

Forwards coach Cokayne, father of RAF and England star Flt Lt Amy Cokayne, said: “We have always had a great bond in the squad. The girls are all friends and have been going back to when this all really kicked off. Now we have such a depth of players with playing knowledge and experience that we as coaches are always on our mettle.

“We know plays and tactics will be understood by the girls, we know they will put suggestions in as to ways we can add things. They problem solve during a game. We have open communication across the set-up, and it has built an extra layer of trust. Add to this the new blood we have coming in and this has the prospect

of being another fantastic season, in fact we feel things have moved on from last season.”

The team, who may lose some of their international stars during the championship due to the Women’s Six Nations tournament running concurrently – Flt Lt Amy Cokayne, Fg Off Sarah Bonar and Fg Off Carys Williams-Morris – has been bolstered by the arrival of former Wales international LAC Rebecca De Filippo and will be led once again by Fg Off Lucy Nye as captain, with Cpl Daniker Willmore as Vice-Captain.

Having seen the team lose 10-24 to the Army last time out, before a 32-15 win over the Royal Navy, Wilding’s charges will play this year’s games in reverse, closing out the championship with a clash against the powerful Army side.

Cokayne said: “I think we had a lot of IS debutants last year and these matches are not like anything else, even Amy [Cokayne] says they are nothing like playing at international level, they are just something completely different.

“Maybe it’s the fact that you get bragging rights for a year, or you have a year to wait to try to put it right, to repair the honour of your Service, but this year I feel we have so many options, and we are in such a good place.

“The work started a while back, we have spotted some great new talent and we know what we have in reserve, it’s just a great thing to be involved with, and everybody feels that; that togetherness, that bond and friendship.”

l Follow the team on Instagram @raf_rugby_union_women.

BATTERING RAM: Cpl James Roberts makes headway through Titans defencePHOTO: AS1 CRAIG WILLIAMS (RAF MARHAM)

COACHES: Wilding (left) and Cokayne (right)

COACH:FS Coleman

Checkmate

THE RAF’s chess masters have won the online Inter-Services Championship and taken the Perrott Trophy (inset).

Teams from the RAF, RN, Army and the MOD battled it out over three rounds, played a week apart.

Round 1 saw the RAF team take on the Royal Navy, losing just one game from 10 and triumphing 7.5-2.5 – with newcomer Fg Off Thomas Hill winning against a more experienced opponent.

The second round saw the Army beaten 8-2 before the crucial winnertakes-all third round against the MOD.

Both teams were undefeated and the RAF called upon Ex-Armed Forces Champion and Armed Forces Chess Association President Wg Cdr Glen Parker to lead the charge.

When the dust settled, the RAF had secured 4 draws and 6 victories with not a single defeat, taking down the MOD 8-2 and securing the title of Inter-Services Chess Champions 2022.

l New players are welcome. See serviceschess.wixsite.com/ home or email Flt Lt Ben Woolf: Ben.Woolf222@mod.gov.uk for more information.

The annual Armed Forces Chess Championships are at RAF Wittering from April 14-17. Email Sgt James Blair: James.Blair663@ mod.gov.uk for more.

BFBS wantsSports to hear your opinions

HAVE YOUR say on the future of Service sport on TV with the BFBS Survey.

Current and former Armed Forces personnel and civilians can make their views known by scanning the QR code below with a mobile phone.

Forces TV sports deputy editor

Cath Brazier said: “Forces News and BFBS Sport are committed to bringing the very best coverage of military sport, but we want our viewers’ opinions, to find out how we can take our game up a level. We want to know what platforms you use the most and the type of coverage you love.

“The short questionnaire shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes to fill in and will make a huge difference to our coverage.”

Scan the QR code and have your say on Forces Sport!

Help us to deliver the best Forces Sport experience

Return of Ex Alpine

“IT’S GREAT to be back in Austria,” said RAF winter sports chief Gp Capt Martin Cunningham as this year’s Exercise Alpine Challenge got underway.

The RAF ski and snowboard championships kickstart the 2023’s snow sports action, with athletes of all abilities training and competing in skiing, snowboarding and telemark.

Cunningham added: “We are really grateful

that so many personnel have been able to fit Alpine Challenge 2023 around their operational commitments.”

The event returned after more than two years of Covid disruption, but it wasn’t all plain sailing with lower numbers because of operational demands.

Sqn Ldr Mike Waring, Chief of Championships, said: “Organising an event like this takes months of hard work. I’m grateful to the committee for all

the effort they’ve put in. At a time when the RAF is so heavily committed to operations, we’ve had to be flexible as well. Some athletes haven’t been able to compete and others are coming straight out from different defence-related commitments.”

To reflect the loss of time on the slopes in previous years due to the pandemic, this year’s event focused heavily on safety and grass roots training.

Injured Hughes in

A FREAK skipping accident halted women’s Alpine ski captain Cpl Rachel Hughes’ preseason and now a second injury threatens her charge for IS glory.

A fall during the slalom run at this month’s RAF Alpine Championships in Saalbach means she faces a nervous wait to know if she will be able to compete at the Inter-Services in France.

The knee injury for Hughes, who led the women’s team to IS victory last year, comes after she broke both her feet last August.

She told RAF News Sport: “I landed heavily while skipping, breaking both metatarsals – I had a tendon issue in my knee which I was in rehab for, then the foot incident happened.

“So it was nine weeks in moon boots, meaning any form of strength training was gone.

“A month pre-championship I was able to do some squatting, but it was touch and go, so I was happy to be in Saalbach.

“When I was in rehab my first thought was messaging the team manager to check I was able to attend and be involved as captain. There is so much to it, not just the actual skiing, support on the hill, the evening work, being around the team.

“This latest injury means I have a tough wait, but I will give it everything I can to be there with and for the team in France.”

Hoping to get a couple of hours on the slopes in Austria, Hughes said: “Getting back

on the skis I was happy, things had gone well, it felt OK until I had my incident.

“There is always an element of risk in

UNLUCKY BREAK: Ski captain Rachel Hughes is forced to put her feet up

SKI THUMB-DAY: Happy on slopes

ALPINE

Daniel Abrahams

DOWNHILL ACE: Rachel competes last year

Cunningham added: “The event is designed for all abilities, so we have had people setting foot on snow for the first time, as well as the established squads getting ready for the InterService Championships in France.

“Because of our generous sponsors we’ve been able to provide additional grassroots support for lessons and

coaching this year. The beauty of RAF winter sports is that any of the complete beginners who attend could find themselves representing the RAF in skiing, boarding or telemark one day in the future.”

l Follow RAF Alpine sports on Instagram @rafwsaa.

battle for fitness

AFTER MAKING Meribel their playground in 2022, with the women coming top of the tree and the men runners-up, the Service Ski Alpine captains are hoping for another stellar year on the slopes.

Having planted the RAF flag firmly

into the snow in France, Corporals Rachel Hughes, making her debut as captain, and Barnaby Rudge, in charge for the last seven years, spoke with RAF News Sport about their hopes for 2023 at the largest military sporting event in the calendar.

WOMEN’S SKI CAPTAIN, CPL RACHEL HUGHES

LAST YEAR was a brilliant year, did you know going into the event that the team could shine or was it just something that unfolded as it went on?

It was incredible. We had a lot of injuries and personal battles, so we went in with the plan to ‘just ski and enjoy it’. I tried to take away any IS pressure and just wanted the girls to gain experience. Every race we achieved better and better results, which unfolded into one of the most unexpected and miraculous team wins.

There have been so many good results in the last few years, do you think we are seeing the golden age of women’s RAF skiing?

It’s undeniable we have had some great results as a team and individually. I took over captaincy last year, with Flt Lt Claire Nixon moving on to a development role. Along with our coaching team and support network, if we can improve and capitalise on our training, we could be untouchable in a few years.

What do you think was the secret or difference between the RAF and the other Services last year?

I think it’s always clear, undoubtedly our cohesion and teamwork. The bond we create as a team in such a short time frame is very special and is always commented on.

Has the unseasonal ‘heat-wave’ impacted on your preparations?

We try to make the most of any time on skis we can get, and trust that our ability to share and absorb will see us through; it’s worked so far! We will keep looking for ways to gain more time on skis though and work to increase our overall fitness.

Where are things currently with yourself skiwise? How has pre-season been?

I have had a poor pre-season, to say the least. Battling a long-term knee injury along with sustaining two broken feet in the summer [see below left], I haven’t been able to train.

Captains gear up for Inter-Services Challenge

Do you have any new personnel in the team, or will you not know until after the RAF Championships?

We have seven new girls at the Champs this year, which gives us a great base to build the team over the coming seasons. The team won’t be selected until after then, but given the numbers it’s likely we will include some new girls, which is a brilliant opportunity for them.

Will you be looking to improve on last year’s finish, if so, how? Or what would be your aim or ideal finish?

Personally, I always want to be at the top – the only thing I’m missing is the downhill win! We won three out of four team events last year, so anywhere near a replication of this would be amazing. The captaincy role is taxing, but I hope I can continue to generate both my own and the team successes.

MEN’S SKI CAPTAIN, CPL BARNABY RUDGE

LAST YEAR was a brilliant year, did you know going to the event that the team could shine or was it just something that unfolded as the event began?

I always have full confidence going into the IS, but as you say I think last year went better than expected for us.

What do you think was the secret or difference between the RAF and the other Services last year?

no substitute for training gates and getting miles on skis, but potentially more work on indoor slopes/dry slopes.

Where are things currently with yourself skiwise? How has pre-season gone?

I’m feeling good. Being back in Saalbach after three years has given me a good boost. Preseason has been OK, ideally, I would like to have come in fitter, but I’ll work with what I have.

skiing, going in at full strength maybe my knee might have not reacted, but there are so many things that can impact on a

run – the snow, the ice, and so on – that it may not be related to my feet at all.

“If my knee is stable enough then I will be on the slopes, I will grit my teeth and get on with it, but I want to be around the team and give my all, whatever the decision.

“All I can do now is wait and see what the medics say.”

It’s not a secret as such, I think it’s the same thing that sets us apart every year and that’s our team cohesion. It’s been commented on so many times how close-knit we are as a team. Doesn’t matter how many new faces we have, they all just slot in like they’ve always been there.

Has the unseasonal ‘heatwave’ impacted on your preparations?

We managed to get our winter camp in Tignes in November. Saalbach doesn’t have a huge amount of snow currently, but we will make the best of it. There’s always dry land training. There really is

Do you know your team for Meribel, and do you think it’s stronger than last year?

I have a pretty good idea who will be going, and it will be a mix of old and new faces. I always believe we take a strong team, of course. I know how well I think we can do this year but everyone else will just have to wait and see.

With that in mind, what are you aiming for this year?

To win the IS Champs as a team, and I think we’ve always got to go into it believing we can.

ON THE MOVE: Cpl on mobility scooter

BOARDERS: Keen to show off their skills

Sir Sefton successes

TWO IMPRESSIVE runner-up team finishes were the payback for some battling runs as Service Cross Country reached the business end of the season with the Sir Sefton Brancker.

RAF Halton hosted the 92nd event, which saw the women just lose out to the Police and the men runners-up behind the Civil Service.

The Service teams also secured a number of top-10 finishes from a field of 120 athletes.

The ladies’ race – just short of 6km –consisted of one small lap and one large lap of the Halton course. It saw Cpl Helena Schofield (Waddington) – returning from injury – and Cpl Chloe Tyler (Peterborough RO) set off at a strong pace.

After the first short lap, Schofield pulled away from the field and set a solid pace, with

Tyler dropping back to settle in at fifth place behind the Police. After these came a mixture of Civil Service/ Police with a sprinkling of RAF runners. Cpl Josie Lloyd was the next RAF woman, in seventh.

The hills started to add up with Schofield taking a clear lead, winning by 20 seconds over the nearest Police runner, with Tyler in fourth.

The overall team results for the ladies were: Police in first position, RAF (missing many runners) second, with the Civil Service third.

The hotly-anticipated and fast-paced men’s race incorporated five long, gradual hills over its 2.5 laps.

Without many of their top runners, the host team saw the Civil Service take the top

THE SEEDS of the Sefton Brancker success were sown at the Air Comm Cross Country Championship with a series of individual top 10 finishes and two runner-up team spots for the men and women behind Poland.

RAF Halton was the venue as the teams from Belgium, Poland, US Air Forces in Europe, Netherlands, UK and Germany battled it out.

Cpl Gemma Holloway was first RAF woman home in the ladies’ race, finishing sixth, closely followed by Cpl

three individual places.

AS1 Max Hazell (Benson), a rising RAF star, led the charge to reel in the breakaway group, before having to settle for fourth position just 10 seconds behind the winning three.

Cpl Adam Baker (Lossiemouth) came home sixth, leading a small contingent of RAF runners: Wg Cdr Ben Livsey (Lossiemouth) first RAF Vet, Sgt Robert Wood (Odiham), Sqn Ldr Matt Whitfield (PJHQ), Cpl Conor Pacy (Cranwell), AS1 Simon Birch (Brize) and Flt Lt Alex Gibb (Brize).

l Follow RAF Cross Country on Instagram @raf_athletics.

Helena Schofield, in seventh. Next home was Cpl Chloe Tyler, with AS1 Laura Kaye the fourth team member to count, then AS1 Phillipa Baxter and Cpl Sarah Toms.

In the men’s race great supporting runs from Fg Off Ryan Jones, Flt Lt Alex Gibb and Cpl Will Gardner helped keep the team’s pace high, all three finishing outside the top 10, with Sgt Rob Wood 4th, AS1 Max Hazell 5th and Flt Lt Jack Hindle 7th. The team came in just five points short of the flying Polish, 38 to 43.

Daniel Abrahams

Halton

MEN START PHOTOS: LUKA WAYCOTT AND ELEANOR KEDGE, HALTON

CROSS

RAF ATHLETES: On the run PHOTOS: ELEANOR KEDGE

Pierce is Mr Bond

Daniel Abrahams

THE FAST pace of UKAF football will slow slightly for the team’s return to action in 2023, as head coach FS Dyfan Pierce concentrates on team bonding.

Pierce and his backroom staff will oversee the four-day camp at Crickhowell RAF Force Development Training Centre, near Abergavenny, Wales, where the team will introduce a few new faces to its winning set-up and take part in activities, along with a fixture against category one or twolevel opponents.

Pierce said: “I just wanted it to be a bit different to be honest. We have limited time together and it is

His mission: to integrate new squad members at 4-day camp

usually solidly football focused, so it will be great to get some time to bond together and get to know each other that bit better.

“I just wanted to take advantage of this time, to do something refreshing. It will be good to see everyone together –the facilities are excellent, there are 3G [premium, artificial] pitches available so we will be taking advantage of those as

Women have heart to win again

WOMEN’S REPRESENTATIVE

Team vice-skipper football Cpl Rachael Howes is looking for another dream IS season having lifted both trophies last year during her stint as stand-in captain.

Howes spoke to RAF News as the Service’s female footballers prepare for another round of IS warm-up matches ahead of the championship in March, this time under the tutelage of new coach Cpl Chris Hamilton.

Howes said: “It was superb to win last season. We are hoping for the same this year, that would be amazing, but we are certain the level of competition will be just as tough, if not tougher.

“I will be vice-skipper again this year having stood in for Sgt Cat Beaver last year, Cat is rightly our skipper, but it was an amazing feeling to lift the trophies.

“To lift the Lynsey Miller trophy against the Royal Navy, our late former secretary, meant so much, then to go to Aldershot and win was special.”

Having had time to work with the new manager, Howes feels the WRT set-up is ready to aim for the top again.

“This season we have a new management set-up with Chris Hamilton coming in, but I feel the main big change for the LRT, now WRT, was in 2020, when FS Michelle Perkins left. We had worked with her for five years, so it was big wrench, but then Chf Tech Jim Bryden came in and the team carried on its winning ways.

“As much as there were a lot of changes, the basis of our squad remained the same, that heart that is vital to success. So as things such as tactics and

management personnel change, if we have that heart, you always hope for success.

“All the set-ups in RAF football work well together, we all get on and we all support each other. Some of us know the new coach and the set-up he works with allows the players to comment and work with the management on new plans and tactics –all our voices are integral

and that builds huge confidence.

“We have had three excellent pre-season matches so far and are really looking forward to our overseas camp, then the IS.”

l The Inter-Services fixtures are: WRT v Royal Navy Women, Victory Stadium, HMS Temeraire, March 14, KO 7pm.

WRT v Army Women, RAF Cosford, March 29 – KO 2pm.

well. It will be a blended approach, training, activities, matches and so on.”

Fixture backlogs due in part to the recent Qatar World Cup has meant Pierce has not been able to confirm any opponents for the usual mid-camp fixture, his attempts to organise one with Cardiff City, Swansea City and Bristol City development sides have proved impossible.

He said: “It’s a busy time and sides cannot risk playing matches that are not on their fixtures schedule, we are now chatting with University of South Wales or Cardiff Met, so we will sort a good opponent to face.”

The team will then focus on a doubleheader with the UKAF ladies team in June to play the Irish Defence Forces, followed by another doubleheader where both UKAF sides host the German Defence Forces in October.

Pierce added: “Crickhowell will be somewhere different, it is out of the way, it is a different setting and that will allow us to focus on a more human element of things. Our normal camps are obviously football and sport laser-focused. It will also be only 45 minutes from Cardiff, where we are hoping to hold the fixture.”

l Follow UKAFFC on Instagram @ukaffootball.

Places fight set to heat up in Cyprus

IT’S NEARLY kick-off for U23s first team coach Sgt Danny Bartley as he prepares to select his final squad for Inter-Service championship glory.

With most of his team’s friendly matches out of the way, Bartley is now looking at the warm weather training camp in RAF Akrotiri to see who makes a bid for the final IS squad.

“We’ll be taking a 24-man squad to Akrotiri, we are playing RAF Cyprus out there plus a couple of civilian teams,” he said. “I’ll cut that down to 18 for the IS, so the carrot for the guys is making the 18, then to make the 11 on the day – so it’s all to play for.

“I am happy with where we are, we played Willesden U23s in December and won comfortably [10-0], I did want a harder clash, but then we played Warboys Town and had a good 3-2 win.”

Bartley and his backroom staff have come up with some unique ways of combating issues which he felt befell his charges last season, where they produced an uncharacteristically poor performance against the Navy. Their final match being a deadrubber after the Army [2-2] had

fielded an ineligible player in their clash against RN.

“Last year was disappointing and the lads knew that. We put it down to a brand new squad with no experience of IS. We have not needed to mention it, the lads are chomping at the bit to get at the Navy.

“We have introduced national anthems at our friendly matches, plus handshakes and other prematch build-up bits, which happen before kick-off at IS matches. The players had not experienced that before, and it can impact on them.”

Without five of his starting 11 from last season due to deployment requirements, and eight players having left due to reaching the age limit of the team, Bartley has risen to the challenge of restructuring.

“It is frustrating, but it’s part and parcel. We have done our work and I think we are stronger this year,” he said.

Bartley, who has named his team captain for the IS as Cpl Connor Balment, RAF Honington, added: “It’s now down to the boys to step up in Cyprus and then on to Rayners Lane for our first clash against the Navy.”

pages of the best of RAF Sport action

FOCUSED: UKAF football chief FS Dyfan Pierce

IS ACTION: 2022's Army clash

SWEET MOMENT: Cpl Rachael Howes lifts InterServices trophy last season

Film

The greatest jazz pianist to have lived

NO LESS than Billy Joel, in Oscar Peterson: Black + White, says of the iconic jazz pianist: “What he just threw away for five seconds I would cut off my arm to be able to do,” at the start of this fascinating documentary.

Written and directed by Barry Avrich, it follows child prodigy Peterson’s story from his early life in Montreal, Canada, where he was encouraged to learn an instrument by his father Daniel, through seven decades of sublime playing.

Young Oscar started off with the trumpet but, after recovering from tuberculosis, was discouraged from continuing with it, so transferred to the piano.

The film showcases the peerless musician’s incredible virtuosity and includes footage of him performing with his famous trio, featuring guitarist Herb Ellis and double bass player Ray Brown.

Herbie Hancock reveals that Brown “influenced every bass player I have ever met” and Peterson cites Art Tatum and Nat ‘King’ Cole as his own major musical influences.

Quincy Jones and Bradford Marsalis are among other big names paying tribute to Peterson in this ‘docu-concert’, which features Oscar singing at the piano, playing boogie-woogie, discussing Cole with Andre Previn and collaborating with major stars of his time such as Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald – interspersed with snippets of interviews with Peterson and performances from contemporary musicians such as Joe Sealy, Ramsey Lewis and Jon Batiste.

The film is far more than just accolades from admiring musicians paying homage to the man Count Basie called “the best ivory box player I’ve ever encountered.”

It also looks at how challenging

Tony's sounds of the 60s live

LEGENDARY DJ Tony Blackburn is taking his Sounds of the 60s show on the road, with a UK tour celebrating the music of this much-loved decade.

The Sounds of the 60s All-Star Band and Singers will perform classic hits from the likes of Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Everly Brothers, Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, The Drifters, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and many more.

With next year marking the 60th anniversary of his first broadcast on pirate radio station Radio Caroline South in 1964,

Blackburn is remembered as a defining voice of the 1960s.

A champion in particular of soul music throughout the 60s, the DJ, 80 this month, has been recognised with 37 accolades, including two Gold Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Radio.

The tour continues until June 29 and goes to 27 venues including Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Milton Keynes Theatre, Bromley’s Churchill Theatre, Birmingham Town Hall, the High Wycombe Swan and Southend Cliffs Pavilion. l Go to: ticketmaster.co.uk for full tour details.

it was to be a black musician in the US from the 1920s to the 40s in particular.

As Marsalis points out: “You did not have freedom of movement… you got paid significantly less for doing the same work that other people did.”

Peterson says: “…the worst moment out of my life was when I saw true racial hatred for the first time.”

When asked by the interviewer how that made him feel, he replies: “Mad.”

His memories of racist treatment are chilling and shocking. Peterson’s composition Hymn To Freedom became the anthem for the civil rights movement in the US and across the world.

This is an informative and rather touching film that’s an immensely enjoyable and fitting tribute to a truly huge talent and a humble and inspirational man.

5 out of 5 roundels

Review by Tracey Allen

Win the DVD

WE HAVE copies of Oscar Peterson: Black + White on DVD to win. For your chance to own one, simply answer this question correctly: Where was Oscar Peterson born? Email your answer, marker Oscar Peterson DVD competition, to: competitions@ rafnews.co.uk or post it to: RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, HP14 4UE, to arrive by February 10. Please include your full postal address with all entries.

Oscar Peterson: Black + White (E)

MAESTRO: Peterson at the piano, left © Avrotros and in a TV studio in 1963, top © Archives Radio-Canada

QUINCY JONES

HERBIE HANCOCK

War photog in the frame

SKY and the producers of forthcoming movie Lee have released the first official image of Kate Winslet as Lee Miller. Shot during filming on location in Croatia, the picture shows Winslet as the pioneering American war correspondent and photographer who covered World War II in Europe for British Vogue

A Sky spokesperson said: “The film is not a biopic, instead it explores the most significant decade of Lee Miller’s life. As a middle-aged woman, she refused to be remembered as a model and male artists’ muse.

“Lee Miller defied the expectations and rules of the time and travelled to Europe to report from the frontline. There, in part as a reaction to her own well-hidden trauma, she used her Rolleiflex camera to give a voice to the voiceless. What Lee captured

Lasting Beauty

CELEBRATING 10 years since its premiere at Sadler’s Wells, when it became the fastest-selling production in the company’s history, Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty continues its nationwide tour throughout the winter and spring.

Ashley Shaw returns to the iconic role of Princess Aurora in the ballet, subtitled A Gothic Romance, along with Katrina Lyndon making her debut in the role. Aurora’s devoted Leo is played by Andrew Monaghan, with Stephen Murray and Rory Macleod both making their debuts in the role.

Enter a wondrous world of magical fairies and vampires, where the timeless tale of good versus evil is turned upside-down, creating a supernatural love story that even the passage of time itself

on film in Dachau and throughout Europe was shocking and horrific. Her photographs of the war, its victims and its consequences remain among the most significant and historically important of the Second World War.”

Winslet said: “To me, she was a life force to be reckoned with,

so much more than an object of attention from famous men with whom she is associated. This photographer, writer, reporter, did everything she did with love, lust, and courage, and is an inspiration of what you can achieve, and what you can bear, if you dare to take life firmly by the hands and live it at full throttle.”

Joining Winslet is US actor Andy Samberg playing Life Magazine photographer David E. Scherman; Alexander Skarsgård plays English Surrealist painter, photographer, poet and biographer Roland Penrose; with Marion Cotillard as Solange D’Ayen, the fashion director of French Vogue and close friend of Miller’s and Andrea Riseborough as British Vogue editor Audrey Withers.

Filming takes place in Croatia, Hungary and London. A release date is yet to be confirmed.

THAT'S COMMITMENT

Doyle's soul classic hits the road again

THE COMMITMENTS are back – and no one could be happier than its creator, Irish writer Roddy Doyle.

“The original stage show of The Commitments in 2013,” he said, “was a brilliant experience from my point of view. It stayed in the West End for more than two years. Then it went on a successful tour.”

Now it’s continuing a UK and Ireland tour that started last year, which visits venues including Aylesbury, Dublin, Belfast, Bournemouth, Cardiff and Manchester, finishing at Newcastle on July 1.

Nigel Pivaro (pictured right), erstwhile lovable rogue Terry Duckworth in Coronation Street from 1983 to 2012, plays the pivotal role of Da, Jimmy Rabbitte’s father.

The show tells the story of Jimmy, a young working-class music fan, who shapes an unlikely bunch of amateur musicians and friends into an amazing live act, the finest soul band Dublin has ever produced.

Has Doyle felt emotional returning to this first work of fiction? “It’s brought back a lot of memories, yes. I was a geography and English teacher at the time I wrote the novel. I wanted an excuse to bring a bunch of young people together in book form and capture the rhythm of Dublin kids yapping and teasing and bullying.

“But I needed to find a setting outside school and that’s when the idea of a band came to me. A big band with a brass section and backing vocals as opposed to three or four young men that was the norm back then.”

He’s resisted the temptation to update the action.

“The vibrancy is still there but so is the tension caused by lack of communication.

cannot hinder. Will Princess Aurora ever find her true love

With an unforgettable score by Tchaikovsky and sumptuous

sets and costumes, the beloved fairy tale is brought to life by the New Adventures company.

l Go to: new-adventures.net for full tour information.

For instance, will Deco, the obnoxious lead singer, turn up on time? These days, you’d track him down on your mobile in no time. But there wasn’t that option in the

late ’80s. And I chose ’60s music – Motown and Memphis soul –because, at the time, it felt timeless. Thirty-five years later, I was right.”

For a long time, Doyle was a teacher who wrote on the side. “I loved teaching and the holidays were great, a time when I got into the habit of writing. I wrote The Commitments in 1986, it was published the following year and I was working on the screenplay in 1988. But I was still teaching up until 1993.”

The Snapper and The Van followed in 1990 and 1991 respectively and, with The Commitments, make up what is known as the Barrytown Trilogy. Then, in 1993, Roddy hit the jackpot. His novel, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, about a rambunctious 10-year-old living in a quickly changing north Dublin suburb in 1968, won the Booker Prize. Doyle was 35.

“I was delighted,” he said: “It was a great compliment although I can’t remember what I said in my acceptance speech. But I do recall then being taken away to be interviewed when all I really wanted to do was get back to the table and share the moment with my wife and publisher.

“It felt as if I’d instantly become

public What was as near I deliberately public now, take The hold because book. with stories, book and, under unlikely. saying sentence.

“Well,” nice

DA: Nigel Pivaro

WRITER: Roddy Doyle

again?

FAIRY TALE ENDING: New Adventures company's Ashley Shaw and Paris Fitzpatrick

“To me, she was a life force to be reckoned with, so much more than an object of attention from famous men with whom she is associated”

LEE MILLER: Kate Winslet

Edited by Tracey Allen

COMMITMENT

public property, and I didn’t like it. What I wanted more than anything to go back to Ireland and live near a normal life as possible. deliberately continued to use public transport, for example. But almost 30 years later, I can it in my stride.”

The Commitments will always a special place in Doyle’s heart because it was his first published book. At 64, he remains prolific 12 novels, three collections of stories, eight books for children, a book he co-wrote with Roy Keane of course, a stage musical under his belt so retirement seems unlikely. He was once quoted as saying that he hoped to die midsentence.

“Well,” he laughed, “it might be nice to get to a full stop.”

Pivaro revealed he was thrilled to be starring in the tour of The Commitments

He said: “It’s such an iconic show and I’ve always loved the story and the music.”

Having worked mainly as a journalist for the past 15 years, the man who came to fame as Terry Duckworth in Corrie hasn’t been on stage since 2003, when he toured with fellow former EastEnders star John Altman in Bouncers “Da provides the

dramatic tension,” Pivaro said. “There’s lots of friction between Jimmy and the members of the band, but the constant tension in the narrative is between him and his Da. The latter thinks his music is a load of rubbish because it’s not Elvis, basically. As far as he’s concerned, if it’s not Elvis then it’s no good.”

He added: “Let’s say he eventually becomes open to persuasion.”

The show is packed with classic

songs like Try A Little Tenderness, In The Midnight Hour, I Heard It Through The Grapevine and Mustang Sally. Much of the singing is left to the younger cast members. But Pivaro, 62, said: “I get to sing a few bars of Elvis rather than the old Motown and Stax classics.

“That’s probably just as well really,” he laughed.

l Go to: thecommitmentsontour. co.uk for tour details.

Timeless classic is always so relevant

STEPHEN DALDRY’S multiaward-winning National Theatre production of JB Priestley’s classic thriller is touring until May 27.

An Inspector Calls visits the Grand Opera House York, Aylesbury’s Waterside Theatre, Liverpool Empire, Richmond Theatre and various other venues around the UK and Ireland before concluding at Glasgow Theatre Royal.

The story begins when Inspector Goole arrives unexpectedly at the prosperous and socially ambitious Birling family home. Their peaceful dinner party is shattered by his investigations into the death of a young woman. His startling revelations shake the very foundations of their lives and challenge everyone to examine their consciences.

Written at the end of World War II and set before WWI, the production stars George Rowlands as wayward son Eric Birling and Evlyne Oyedokun as his sister Sheila, who is celebrating her engagement to Gerald Croft when the play starts.

This production of An Inspector Calls is now 30 years old and yet still as popular as ever. What makes the play so timeless?

Evlyne said: “Well, the fact it’s set across three timelines helps – you’ve got 1912 when the play is set, then you’ve got the future, which is the Blitz, 1945, and then you’ve also got the current now, 2023. It’s amazing. You’re flicking through the past,

present and the now constantly, and it’s so reflective on humanity so it makes it so relevant, and people can really see themselves.”

George added: “At its centre it’s a play about somebody in distress, and that doesn’t get old, does it? I think at different points in time when we’ve put it on over the last 30 years, it’s been relevant. And this time around I think it’s more relevant than ever because of what’s going on in terms of the strike action and housing crisis.”

Of his character Eric, George said: “Eric is well educated because he’s been sent to public school. He enjoys a drink, probably a little bit too much. He really wants to be respected by, namely, his dad. Unfortunately, the combination of those three facts results in some pretty catastrophic things.”

Describing Sheila, Evlyne observed: “She’s absolutely besotted with Gerald. She is very selfabsorbed and in her own world, as she’s been brought up that way.”

l Go to: aninspectorcalls.com for full tour details.

CORRIE ON NIGEL: Pivaro, best known as Street bad boy Terry Duckworth, stars as Jimmy's father

SONG: (l-r) Eve Kitchingman, Michael Mahony, Ciara Mackey, James Killeen, Sarah Gardiner, Conor Litten, Guy Freeman, Ian McIntosh

PHOTOS: ELLIE KURTTZ

'SHEILA': Evlyne Oyedokun, right

THE GOOD LIFE: Mr Birling (Jeffrey Harmer), Eric Birling (George Rowlands) and Gerald Croft (Simon Cotton) PHOTOS: MARK DOUET

Your Announcements

You

Wedding anniversary

JOHN and Grace Chidlow (née) Donald met at RAF Stanbridge and celebrated their Diamond wedding anniversary on January 20. Email address: jchidlow345@ gmail.com

Deaths

amongst others, in Singapore, Amman, Habbaniya, Henlow, Cranwell, Cyprus and Hullavington. Died peacefully on January 6 in Warwick Hospital, aged 96.

Seeking

WERE you stationed at RAF High Wycombe? The station’s Media and Communications Officer, Laurence Parker, is looking for personnel based there, from 1940 to the present, who may have old photographs of the station (if the person is in them, that’s not a problem, says Laurence).

He is aiming to compile a history of RAF High Wycombe through the ages, and possibly use some in a social media campaign.

He would also like to hear from people who have recollections of RAF High Wycombe when they were stationed there.

the weekend of May 12-14 at the Delta by Marriott Hotel, Warwick, CV34 6RE? Please contact our Membership Secretary, Malcolm Flack, on: 01494 728562 or email: memsecchangi@outlook. com or please visit the website: www.rafchangi.com for more details.

THE 60th anniversary reunion of the 49th Entry 2 Sqn Clerks Boy Entrants at RAF Hereford is to be held from May 15-17 at Thoresby Hall, Ollerton, Nottinghamshire. If you are interested in attending please contact Dave Beaumont on: 07538651712 or email: beaumont.d@sky. com or Bob Cuss, email: rbc324@john-lewis.com for more information.

RAF hopeful's challenge

GRIMSHAW Alan Sgt Retired RAF. Alan passed away in April 2020. Due to Covid was denied a decent funeral.

We will be having a Burial of Ashes at Christ Church Thornton, Meadows Avenue, ThorntonCleveleys, Lancashire on Monday, April 24 at 11am. Family and friends will be in attendance and if anyone is nearby and would like to attend please phone Jean Grimshaw on: 01253 854909 or mobile: 07544 338869.

Please email him at: laurence. parker140@mod.gov.uk or write to: Laurence Parker –MCO, RAF High Wycombe SHQ, Walters Ash, High Wycombe. Bucks, HP14 4UE if you can help.

LOOKING for any members of the 47th entry TG19 Hereford 62-64. Any still about? Please contact Jim Cummins via email on: Carol_cummins@aol.com or call: 01302 532865, 07517 416702.

Reunions

RAF CHANGI – did you serve there between 1946 -72? The RAF Changi Association (inc. HQFEAF) would like to hear from you and a warm welcome awaits you. Membership is open to all ranks, ex RAF/WRAF/ WAAF also including civilian personnel who served there.

RAF Bawdsey Reunion Association. Did you ever serve at RAF Bawdsey? If so, why not join us at our next annual reunion which will take place at Bawdsey Manor on June 3. For details please contact Doreen at: doreen. bawdseyreunion@btinternet. com or phone: 07513 301723.

Associations

IF you trained as an RAF Administrative Apprentice (or are related to one) we would be delighted to welcome you to the RAFAA Association. See the website: rafadappassn.org; or contact the Membership Secretary on: 07866 085834 or the Chairman on: 01933 443673.

A YOUNG air-conditioning engineer, whose ambition is to join the RAF as a Physical Training Instructor (PTI), has set himself a gruelling challenge.

In July Nick Pullman, 23, will take part in Ironman 70.3 Swansea to raise funds for Armed Forces charity SSAFA.

PTI role first time round in 2019, and just missed out on making the cut the next year. Lockdowns brought on by Covid curtailed the chance for a third application until recently, but suspected keratoconus – thinning of the cornea and irregularities of its surface – has put his plans on hold.

The Ironman comprises a 1.2-mile loop swim around Swansea’s Prince of Wales Dock, a 56-mile bike ride from the city through The Mumbles and countryside then back to Swansea, and a double-loop 13.1mile twin-loop run from Swansea back again to the Mumbles before returning.

He added: “I’ve chosen to run for SSAFA because of my close ties to the military and being brought up in a military household.

WILLIS

Lt MBE, served 1948-1973, including

How to use our service

Why not join us for our 25th Annual Reunion and AGM which has been booked for

RAF Catering WOs’ and Seniors’ Association (RAF CWO & SA): all serving or retired TG19 Warrant Officers or Flight Sergeants and all former Catering Branch Officers are invited to join the RAF CWO & SA. We meet twice yearly. For more information please get in touch with Dave Scott via email: davescott10@hotmail. co.uk.

Bristol-born Nick, son of a Para, and with cousins in both the Royal Marines and the Paras, said: “I applied for the RAF in 2019 because I wanted to challenge myself and change my life. I was out of shape. I was drinking a lot. I was unhappy. I wanted to break the monotony of day-to-day life.

“I know on a very personal level how selfless serving in the military is, and I know the massive debt we owe serving personnel and veterans, people SSAFA helps day in, day out, as it has for nearly 140 years.

There is no charge for conventionally-worded birth, engagement, marriage, anniversary, death,in memoriam seeking and reunion notices. For commercial small ads contact Edwin Rodrigues on: 07482 571535. We cannot, under any circumstances, take announcements over the telephone. They can be sent by email to: tracey.allen@rafnews.co.uk. Please note that due to the coronavirus pandemic we are currently unable to accept notices submitted by post.

Important Notice

The publishers of RAF News cannot accept responsibility for the quality, safe delivery or operation of any products advertised or mentioned in this publication.

Reasonable precautions are taken before advertisements are accepted but such acceptance does not imply any form of approval or recommendation. Advertisements (or other inserted material) are accepted subject to the approval of the publishers and their current terms and conditions. The publishers will accept an advertisement or other inserted material only on the condition that the advertiser warrants that such advertisement does not in any way contravene the provisions of the Trade Descriptions Act. All copy is subject to the approval of the publishers, who reserve the right to refuse, amend, withdraw or otherwise deal with advertisements submitted to them at their absolute discretion and without explanation. All advertisements must comply with the British Code of Advertising Practice. Mail order advertisers are required to state in advertisements their true surname or full company name, together with an address from which the business is managed.

“For whatever reason, some people give up; I knew that this wasn’t for me, so I turned my apathy into energy, changed my outlook, changed my lifestyle, and pushed myself and my body to new limits and found that fitness was my passion.”

He missed passing selection for the RAF

“Raising money for SSAFA gives me the chance to give something back to those who’ve served their country by giving to the charity that does so much for them, and though it’s going to be hard, I’m looking forward to pushing my body to the limits and for such a good cause.”

Visit: justgiving.com/fundraising/ nicholas-pulman to support Nick.

Go to: ssafa.org.uk for more information about the charity.

Squadron marks landmark anniversary

2620 SQUADRON (County of Norfolk) RAF Regiment marks 40 years since its formation and 20 years since its deployment on Op Telic.

The Squadron intends to hold an event at RAF Marham in the form of a family day and evening function, and a visit to the RAF Regiment Heritage Centre is

also planned. The event will be held at 2620 Sqn on March 31, 2023. If you wish to attend, please email the ProjO: philip. lister513@mod.gov.uk

This is unique for 2620 Sqn and for all other personnel who have served with or alongside the Squadron in the UK and on operations all over the world.

Don Flt

Sgt Alan Grimshaw

Flt Lt Don Willis

IRONMAN: Nick Pullman, who wants to be a PTI, is raising money for SSAFA

Get moving to support amazing aircraft

WOKKA YOU waiting for? If you sign up to the Chinook Challenge this month you can get active while raising funds for charity.

The RAF Museum is inviting people to kickstart 2023 with its Chinook Challenge where you can choose to walk, run, or cycle your way to reach the 100km, 200km or even 400km distance.

A museum spokesperson said: “This virtual challenge will run throughout 2023 and can be completed anywhere in the world in a time to suit everyone, whether that’s in a day, week, month or even a year.

remarkable aircraft, and share amazing RAF stories of courage and bravery, like those who have flown on the legendary Chinook ‘Bravo November’.

“This sole surviving Chinook flown by the RAF during the Falklands campaign is displayed at RAF Museum Midlands and has seen four of its pilots awarded the DFC.”

She added: “Participants of the Chinook Challenge will each receive a bespoke wooden medal when they achieve their chosen distance.”

ke espoke wh chosen d a e co n b intheworldinatimeto shetherthat’ , w w everyone v r e h o ont k, m ee , w y y w ourdail n y Tur“Tu y , c e dog h h t wit nd k, a commutetowor onthetreadmillinthe hi ur C o f y t o ar o p int ” Challengedistance RAFMuseumIndiv a H ll er E anag g M Givin

e osuit sina en a walks cling time gym, inook idual Hewitt

“Turn your daily walks with the dog, cycling commute to work, and time on the treadmill in the gym, into part of your Chinook Challenge distance.”

RAF Museum Individual Giving Manager Ella Hewitt said: “Support from Chinook challengers will enable the Museum to preserve

Go to: rafmuseum.org to register for the event. Entry costs £20 per person and all proceeds will go towards supporting the RAF Museum. Members of the Armed Forces Community (Cadets, serving personnel, veterans, and reservists) can register for the discounted rate of £15.

eir c e t y ac ” distance fmuseuGoto:rafm he r t o er f fo egist o r t p per £20 costs roceedsw l p andal h g t upportin s s toward Museum.Memberso ForcesComm Armed ers g p ervin adets, s (C ndreservist s, a veteran erforthedisco fo regist f e o rat

It is recommended that under 16s are accompanied by an adult.

en um.org event. erson o l g wil AF e R ofthe munity onnel, an ts) c ounted g tfromChi fr said:“Suppor challengerswillen re o p eum t us e M th inook nable serve

Itisrecommended under16sareaccomp ult. n ad y a b dthat anied

Prize Su Doku No. 341

European holiday in auto disrupted by RAF operation (10)

Young girl lies about RAF weapons (8)

Spruce in Alpine attraction (4)

Marital agreement returned to Bacon in station (6)

Even uphill, lots lose their head to high-fliers (6)

Payment managed in this way by Frenchman (6)

19 Across. Fifers strongly upset by RAF plane (6,8)

Article on north-eastern queen (4)

17 Across

Cheer pilot flying around in one (10)

Girl (or boy) in a swirl (4)

anxious about some people (4)

directed to jazz district (6)

a tailor turns nasty? (4,2)

Help to scramble second Greek letter (4) Name Address............................................................................................................... RAF term........................................................................ Crossword No. 331

Bridge of size

TOUGH: Traversing

Fill in all the squares in the grid so that each row, each column and each 3x3 square contains all the digits from 1 to 9.

Solutions should be sent in a sealed envelope marked 'Su Doku' with the number in the top left-hand corner to RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP14 4UE, to arrive by February 10.

Solve the crossword, then rearrange the eight letters in yellow squares to find an RAF term Solution to Su Doku No: 340 Solution to Crossword No 330: Across – 7. Odiham 8. Pollen 10. Take Off 11. Brave 12. Land 13. Heart 17. Whist 18. Cosh 22. Pilot 23. Veteran 24. Rocket 25. Fiasco Down – 1. Hostile 2. Dickens 3. Baton 4. Bombers 5. Altar 6. Anger 9. Offensive 14. Chatter 15. Tourist 16. Chinook 19. Spark 20. Block 21. Strip RAF term – Hellfire

2,600ft groove

©

With wild journeys, adrenaline-packed challenges and incredible cinematography, the tour features two new collections of inspirational films from remote areas of the planet.

Each event features a free prize draw for outdoorsy goodies from the tour’s partners. There are two different film programmes to choose from – red and blue – or you can double the action and go to both.

Banff tour films are chosen from hundreds of entries into the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival, held every November in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The UK and Ireland tour visits more than 50 locations this spring and autumn.

Highlights include A Baffin Vacation, where adventurers Erik Boomer and Sarah McNair-Landry set off on a 45-day expedition through the remote landscape of Baffin Island in Canada, in search of stunning cliffs to climb and unexplored rivers to whitewater kayak.

There’s also Bridge Boys, with top British climbers Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall, who, kept away from towering cliffs abroad because of lockdown, are forced to look closer to home for adventure. So they tackle one of the most unusual climbs ever attempted – a 2,600ft horizontal groove beneath a motorway

bridge on the M5. Sleeping on ledges suspended from the bridge, the pair face ferocious climbing moves, bridge-shaking traffic and police suspicion on this extraordinary challenge.

And Saving Glaciers features glaciologist Dr Felix Keller who, every year, observes the steady retreat of the Morteratsch glacier in the Swiss Alps.

Determined that the melting and eventual disappearance of glaciers can be averted, Felix and his team set out to create a complex snow cabling system, recycling glacial meltwater back into snow. With enthusiasm, resilience and love for the mountains, these passionate locals are hoping to save winter for future generations.

l Go to: banff-uk.com for tour dates and venues and to book tickets.

RAY WOOD

Crossword

and Prize Su Doku puzzles will receive a recent top aviation title – please send your entries to the address printed in the adjacent Su Doku panel, to arrive byFebruary 10. Prize Crossword No. 329 winner is: D Read, Dunstable.